Blau Weihnachten
by Becky Tailweaver
Summary: It's Christmas at the Institute, with the usual chaos. Kitty's going out with Lance--will Kurt ever be able to get close to her? (Not your usual fluff, folks! Give a read and see!)
1. Adventures in Christmas Shopping

((Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Marvel Comics and whatnot. I don't own them, I can't keep them, so I'm just borrowing them for this exciting little romp. Enjoy your reading!)) 

  


**Blau Weihnachten**   
_by Becky Tailweaver_

  
  
**Chapter 1: Adventures in Christmas Shopping**

"_Frohe Weihnachten!_" 

The cheery voice echoed through the corridors of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children. Everyone living at the Institute knew that voice, knew its owner, and knew what he was capable of when his happy shout held _that_ tone. 

Kitty Pryde heaved a deep, knowing sigh into her pillow. "Ugh...like, here it comes..." 

Rogue rolled over and covered her head with her blankets. "Somebody just shoot 'im now, before he--" 

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauties!" A brimming bundle of morning energy bounced into their room, throwing the door back and almost knocking posters off of walls. "First day of Christmas Vacation--how can you miss a beautiful morning like this? Ahhhh, the sweet smell of freedom!" 

"Kurt, knock it off!" Kitty lamely chucked her stuffed cat at him. "Like, who cares how great it smells? It's vacation so we like, _want_ to sleep in!" 

Kurt Wagner dodged the ill-thrown toy with ease. He was wearing his holo-projector, grinning crazily through his human face. "Lazy Kitty, you're no fun!" 

"Good. So like, leave." 

Rogue peeked out of her comforter, bleary eyes focusing on her clock. "Aw, good Lord...it's seven blinkin' o'clock in the morning." 

"Yup yup yup!" Kurt smiled as he bounded between the two beds. "And it snowed some more, too! Breakfast is cooking--come on, let's go!" 

"Kuuurt!" Kitty whined. "Like, why are you always so stupidly cheerful at like, the butt-crack of dawn every day?" 

"An' why do y'all gotta share that damn cheer with me an' Kitty _first?_" Rogue groaned, yawning. 

"Vas? Miss waking my two favorite girls and seeing their shining faces every morning?" Kurt looked wounded. 

Rogue finally sat up. "Kurt, if ya don't get yer butt outta here right now, I'm gonna show you what _my_ shinin' face looks like!" 

"Jawohl; I can take a hint. I'll go bother somebody else." Kurt hopped out the door. "But if you're not up, I'll be _baa_aack!" He pulled the door shut loudly behind him. 

Kitty was sitting up and rubbing her eyes as Rogue flopped back down. "Okay. I'm like, never gonna be able to get back to sleep anyway. Not once he gets everyone into like, a totally huge ruckuss." 

They heard another door thump open down the hall somewhere. 

Rogue rolled her eyes. "Three...two...one..." 

"_Arrrrgh!_ Kurt, get the hell outta my room before I fry your hairy butt!" _Wham! Zzzzap!_ "_Hey!_ Gimme back my blanket!" _Bamf--bamf! Thud!_ "Put it down! I said--hey, come back here with that! Kurt, dammit--!" _Crash!_

"Poor Ray," Kitty giggled. "Like, 'Guten morgen, mein freund,'" she said, doing a not-quite-passable imitation of Kurt's German inflections. 

"I swear," Rogue muttered. "One of these days I'm gonna sneak in the night before and tie him to his bed, just so I can sleep in some weekend." 

"Like, tie down Mister Rubber-Bands-For-Bones? Shyeah, right. If he couldn't just wriggle out he'd like, teleport straight here." Kitty climbed out of bed, blinking sleep from her eyes. "You gotta admit, though, it's like, kinda sweet how he wants to see us first thing in the morning." 

Rogue snorted. "That's just 'cause he likes to hang around. Once he wakes up the others he's gotta keep movin' or they'll nail him. Logan and Ray get their mornin' workout chasin' him outta their rooms." 

Kitty paused in the middle of pulling on her shirt. "He actually gets Logan? Wow, I'd like, be way too totally freaked to do that!" 

"Whatever." The other girl turned over, facing the wall. "I'm gonna catch a few more Z's. If ya hear screamin' later, don't worry--it's just Kurt as I pull his tail out by the roots." 

"He like, totally deserves whatever you do to him. I'll let the others know--see ya!" 

Kitty phased through the door and out into the hall, heading for the bathroom. Quite a few of her comrades were up as well, though most of them weren't looking particularly happy with that fact. Evan Daniels, for one, had a few new holes in his pajamas--presumably from shooting spikes at Kurt--while Bobby Drake's robe sported a bit of frost around the edges. She could only hope she wouldn't come around a corner and find charred and broken furniture, courtesy of a few of their more...er..._aggressively_ powered peers. 

Her hand was nearly on the doorknob of the bathroom door. 

"Achtung! Vorsicht! Gangway, Kitty!" 

"Get 'im!" "There he goes--nail the sucker!" "Woof!" "Quick, we're losing him!" 

_Like, here we go again..._

Hearing pounding footsteps--and in particular, a certain galloping rhythm--she whirled, ready to phase out of the way of any stampede of non-morning people bent on atrocious revenge. Her instincts proved correct; Kurt was headed her way--and he looked _extremely_ weird wearing his holo-image and running on all fours at the same time, his incongruous blue tail waving behind him. Half of the younger kids of the Institute were on his heels--and half of them only half-dressed. Their usual number was increased by a few, as more than one pajama-clothed Jamie Madrox was chasing the blue mutant. 

Oh God, he was heading straight for her--and he had a rather annoying habit of hiding behind her when there were mad mutants on his tail, necessitating either of the usual games: "Chase the Fuzzball Around Kitty" or "Hell With It And Jump Them Both; She's On His Side Anyway." 

Alarmed, she held up her hands. "Like, leave me out of it, Kurt! I'm going to the bathroom and like, _nothing_ is going to stop me!" 

He grinned devilishly at her, and as the herd approached, she began to feel that nagging sense of self-preservation return. "Kurt--!" 

He didn't even slow down. He was practically at her feet when, with a loud shout of "Aufwarts!" he jumped straight up, disappearing suddenly from her line of sight. She blinked, looked up--and there he was, running along the ceiling back the way he'd come, having leapt over nine feet straight up to the Institute's high hall ceilings. 

The pack of angry mutants skidded to a halt before her, abruptly reversing direction. "Damn, there he goes again!" "Jubes, go left this time!" "Rowf!" "I'll cut him off at the dining room hall!" 

When the hallway grew silent again, Kitty found her voice once more. "Now _that_ was like, totally weird." 

"Those guys never learn," Scott Summers said from behind her, startling her. "They should wait 'til after breakfast and he's stuffed himself on sausage and bacon. An over-full belly really slows him down." 

"Scott!" She stared at him. "I didn't know you were like, out to get him, too." 

"After the nice wake-up call I got last Saturday?" the older boy said wryly. "I almost gave my room a skylight. He deserves whatever he gets." 

"That guy is in like, _so_ much trouble." 

"He wouldn't be Kurt if he wasn't." 

Kitty giggled. "I guess not. But like, why was he wearing his watch while he was roughhousing around? I thought he was like, paranoid about breaking that thing." 

"Yeah, you're right. I don't know." Scott thought a minute. "Come to think of it, he's been wearing it a lot lately... Hm, something to think about." He gestured at the bathroom door. "After you?" 

"Like, yeah. Thanks." 

* * * * *

By the time everyone made it to the dining room, clean, dressed, and in one piece, the adults had already nearly finished their breakfasts. Kitty, Evan, and the older students--with the exception of Kurt--were sedately eating the last of their meal. The younger kids wearily plunked themselves down in their chairs and began loading their plates. They devoured the food hungrily, barely sparing the mouth-time to speak. 

Logan looked up from his newspaper, a slightly wry look on his face. "So, I take it you punks particularly enjoyed training with the Elf this morning." 

Ray Crisp looked up from his plate sharply. "_Training?_ Logan, if you put him up to this 'Good morning' crap, I'm gonna--" 

"Relax, kid. The Fuzzball came up with that one all on his own." He leaned over the paper a bit. "That's not to say I _discouraged_ him." 

"Aw, _man_..." Bobby groaned. 

Roberto DaCosta frowned. "Maybe if we just ignore him, he'll go away." 

"Small chance of that," Amara Aquilla snorted. 

Rahne Sinclair snarled a bit as she tore at her breakfast like...well, a starving wolf. "Kurt's like a bad smell--ye gotta _work_ te wash 'im away." 

"Say, where is the K-man, anyway?" Evan asked. 

Jean Grey concentrated a bit. "Still upstairs? And he's moving pretty fast." 

"Yeah, the Jamie crowd is still after him," Bobby informed them. "I think there's about five of him now, but I lost track. Kurt stole Roberto's shoe and dropped it on Jamie's head to wake him up, and then we kinda had some spills while we were chasing Kurt, so there's a few more." 

Professor Xavier chuckled softly from his end of the table. A laugh from the quiet man wasn't common, so everyone's head cranked around. He raised an eyebrow at them. "There are _six_ Jamies now," he informed them, correcting Bobby's count, "and they're trying to corner Kurt in the south wing." 

Ray coughed. "I didn't think Jamie was _that_ upset about the shoe thing." 

The Professor shook his head. "You misunderstand. Jamie's the only one who considers Kurt's 'morning exercises' a game, besides Kurt himself. They're having a high time of it right now. You kids should really lighten up--Kurt doesn't mean anything bad by it." 

"You honestly can't say he means anything _good_ by it though," Jubilation Lee said, a bit grumpily. "Some of us need our beauty sleep." 

_Bamf!_ A flash-puff and the smell of sulfur announced the arrival of their previous target. He landed near the table, behind Kitty's chair. She rolled her eyes when she realized that he was _hiding_ behind it. 

"Honk honk! Hello, Kitty." He grinned sheepishly at the various glares directed at him. "Uh, good morning, my friends." 

"Good morning my butt..." someone muttered. 

"Kurt, glad you could join us," the Professor greeted. "Pull up a chair and eat--you must be famished after all that activity." 

"Ja, you bet!" Relinquishing the relative safety of Kitty's chair, Kurt hurried to his spot on the other side of Logan. "Pass the bacon, bitte!" 

There were a few mutterings to the effect of starving the blue menace, but in the Professor's presence such a mean-spirited concensus would not be tolerated. Soon, Kurt was eating with as much gusto as he had earlier displayed in bidding them all good morning. Jamie--his group of stragglers now down to three--showed up a few minutes later, necessitating a few more place-settings at the table. 

Logan wondered to himself why they bothered to feed Jamie's multiples in the first place, since they all disappeared into nothing after a while anyway. 

When the meal was eaten, and most everyone had gone their separate ways to begin entertaining themselves through the winter holiday, the Professor quietly asked Kurt to remain seated so he could speak to him. Kitty, Jean, and Logan--the only ones still at the table--hung around to listen. 

"Ja, Professor?" Kurt asked, looking a bit guilty. "Is it about this morning? I know I caused quite a mess...maybe I'll be a little less enthusiastic next time." 

"It's not that, Kurt," Xavier replied. "Your morning game isn't a problem, as long as no one is seriously upset or uses their powers destructively." 

Kitty had to hide a laugh at that--with all the "destructive" powers directed at Kurt, it was a wonder he showed up to breakfast without a mark on him. At least, that she could see--the hologram did a good job of hiding that. There were rules at the Institute, however, that essentially boiled down to, "No mutant powers may be used for the purpose of trashing the house." It was all about safety, but it put a big crimp in the Kurt-chasing of those individuals with particularly destructive abilities. Say, Ray or Amara. 

"No power problems, Professor," Kitty put in wryly. "But like, 'upset' is another story." 

Kurt smiled at her. "Yeah, maybe I should wait until eight o'clock from now on..." 

"Kurt, it's about your watch," the Professor told him seriously. 

The young man flinched. "Oh." 

"I know you prefer to wear the holographic inducer in public situations, Kurt," Xavier went on. "And the rule about having the inducer on in the front rooms still applies. But the majority of the house is hardly public, and you are among friends here. There is no need to be wearing it around the hallways." 

"I understand, Professor." Kurt fidgeted in his chair, uncharacteristically hesitant. "I just want to...you know...fit in a little better." 

"That's fine," Xavier said. "But the holo-watch is both delicate and difficult to repair, and it already 'goes on the fritz' a lot more often than any of us would like it to. It takes Hank or I a great deal of effort to fix it when it stops functioning. And when you are roughousing with the others, there's a good chance the watch could be broken--and even damaged beyond the point of taking only a few hours to fix." 

The Professor's warning hung heavily in the air. Even Kitty found nothing to smile about. 

"Y...yes, Professor," Kurt responded, his voice a faint shadow of his usual sprightly tones. "I'm sorry...but..." 

"You've been wearing that watch an awful lot lately, Kurt," Jean said gently. "Is something wrong?" 

"No! I...I..." Kurt looked down, obviously embarassed. 

There was a moment of silence before both Jean and the Professor said, "Oh..." at exactly the same moment. Kurt's wide eyes flew up, flicking to both of them. 

Kitty blinked. "I like, totally missed that." 

"I understand, Kurt," the Professor said with a nod. "You can continue to wear the watch if you feel you must. Have the batteries checked regularly, and take it to Hank immediately if it starts to fail. And if you decide to play boisterous games with the others..." 

Kurt nodded rapidly. "Jawohl, Professor, I understand perfectly. Thank you!" 

He vanished in a cloud of smoke before anyone could say more. 

Kitty looked around at the people left at the table. Jean and the Professor were exchanging glances, and Logan had this _knowing_ look on his face. She frowned; they _knew_ something she didn't, and if there was anything Kitty hated, it was being left out of the loop. "So like, what was that all about?" she asked. "All that telepathic stuff like, literally went over my head." 

"It's not my place to tell you," the Professor responded gently. "This is something that Kurt is dealing with right now and if he feels he can tell you, he will." He quietly wheeled away, leaving Kitty still curious. 

"It's personal, Kitty," Jean said, getting up and excusing herself. "I'm kinda sorry I overheard." 

"Mr Logan? I swear you like, know exactly what they're talking about." 

Logan was already heading for the door. "Sorry, Half-Pint. I knew before, but I ain't talkin' either. Honor among men and all that." He caught the frustrated look on her face and smiled wryly. "It's guy stuff, kiddo. The Squirrel will tell you when he's ready." 

Kitty was left sitting in an empty dining room. "This like, totally sucks!" She crossed her arms and pouted. "I _hate_ secrets. _Especially_ blue fuzzy ones." 

* * * * *

Since it was the first _official_ day of Christmas Vacation--weekends were weekends, and therefore didn't count as _vacation_--everyone was of a mind to go shopping. Last-minute gift shopping, to be specific. And since the hallowed definition of "shopping" differed between the genders, they decided to take off in two groups. 

There was Christmas shopping to be done! The men could never stand around waiting while the women tried on everything in the store and then wheedled them into carrying it for them; the women would never tolerate the "grab-and-go" and "window-drool over cool car stuff" methods of the men. So six girls borrowed Scott's car--he didn't like it, but Jean had a way with him--to head for the mall and its associated department stores. Eight guys piled into the van--a rowdy ride, to be sure--and made for the very same mall, with the sports stores and arcades it contained. 

Fourteen mutants at the Bayville Mall already all but _guaranteed_ chaos. Heaven help the establishment if the Brotherhood happened to go mall-hopping today. 

* * * * *

While Jean was sifting carefully through a selection of expensive watches, Kitty and the younger girls hung out in the purse-and-hat section and tried out various accessories. Kitty had just finished filling them in on the events that had taken place after they'd left the dining room. They were all conversing happily enough, but the subject of their discussion was a well-known blue furrball and the close-mouthed adults at the Institute. 

Since Jean was older _and_ also happened to be one of the close-mouthed people, she was thrown in with the adults. The traitor. 

"...and so Mr Logan like, totally brushed me off too. Can you believe it? I was like, _so_ ticked off." 

"They _are_ big on secrets, aren't they?" Jubilee commented, nodding in agreement. 

"_I_ really couldn't care less what's wrong with Kurt," Rogue snorted, hanging back from the purse-sampling clique. "As long as he ain't dyin' or anything, his problems're his problems." 

"I wonder if we could find out what he's hidin'," Rahne said, smiling slyly. "I can sniff 'im out anytime." 

Kitty giggled. "We all know you've got like, the best nose next to Mr Logan's, but I don't think that's the problem. It's like, something about his watch." 

Amara's brow wrinkled. "Are you sure? From what you said, it might even be what's _under_ the watch." 

"What, is he going bald or something?" Jubilee asked, looking a bit horrified. 

Kitty stared at her, askance. A part of her was horrified at the idea, too. "Like, _not!_ That's like, totally impossible." 

"Is it?" Amara said, apparently amused at Kitty's expression. "You yourself said he seemed terrified at the idea of taking his watch off. What are men more afraid of than baldness?" 

Rogue snorted again. "If it was anyone else, maybe. I think Kurt would give his pointy little tail to be bald. An' pale-skinned. Then at least he'd be normal." 

Kitty glanced at her. It was easy to imagine Kurt "normal" and pale-skinned--the hologram did that. But a Kurt that didn't hang from that snaky tail, bounce around on those spring-loaded legs, scamper up the walls--and occasionally the ceiling...now that she couldn't imagine. He just wouldn't be _Kurt_. 

Jubilee crossed her arms and frowned. "Hm...what if he's changed colors or something? Maybe he turned green." 

"Or pink!" Rahne giggled. 

"Like, no way!" Kitty couldn't help giggling too, along with the rest of them. Girlish laughter was infectious, and it soon turned their collective conversation away from Kurt. Rogue was right--he wasn't dying or anything. His problem was probably one of those minor Kurt-insecurities that cropped up every now and again. He'd get over it soon enough, and they'd all have a good laugh like they were having now. 

Kurt was always good at laughing. 

* * * * *

Contrary to the opinions of the girls, Kurt was not presently obsessing over his situation or his watch. He and Evan had teamed up--among the gaggle of other little two- and three-man teams--to shop around for any stragglers on their Christmas lists. For a guy, getting their guy pals stuff was easy--car goodies, sports items, designer shoes, camping conveniences for use during any of Logan's little "outings"--that sort of thing. 

However, when the guy decides to start shopping for a _girl_, the playing field does an abrupt right-angle tilt and even the most well-prepared of young men is thrown for a loop. 

Evan was definitely feeling the effects of entering the world of "Shopping For Female Friends." Getting the occasional hair goodie or piece of jewelry for his aunt or mom was one thing; this thing Kurt was doing--shopping for a _girl_--was something entirely different. 

"Wow, man," he whispered, feeling more than a little intimidated by the womens' clothing section. "How do they even get this thing on?" 

Kurt glanced at the thin, many-strapped...tube top? Halter top?...whatever-it-was on the summer clearance rack and shrugged. "No idea. But relax, dude--wrong season, and I'm not looking for anything that complicated." 

Evan sighed in relief, nervously following his friend deeper into the store's womens' department. "I dunno what that was, but I don't even wanna imagine what Kitty would look like wearing it." 

Kurt could, and did, but forcibly removed his mind from the subject while glaring at his friend. "Shhh! Klappe!" he hissed, glancing around. One thing he did _not_ want was for Kitty to know he was shopping for her. It was supposed to be a _surprise_. "Who knows if they're around here somewhere? This _is_ the girls' section, dummkopf." 

"Aw, jeeze..." Evan glanced around as well. "I don't even wanna be caught _dead_ in here!" 

"So halt den Mund--and help me look." 

"Fine, fine..." 

They rummaged about for a while, feeling clueless--and more than a bit embarassed every time a passing saleslady _looked_ at them. They pawed through racks of blouses, shirts, jeans, dresses, and other such, trying to find something they thought Kitty might wear. Although Kurt tried to project an air of calm, unhurried assurance, he was nervous as hell and his heart was pounding to beat the band. Apart from the fear that the other guys might catch them here, there was utter terror that _Kitty_ would find him. 

That, and he was still unsure of what to get her for Christmas. Clothes? Toys? Jewelry? Music? What could he possibly get that would coax that brillant smile from her? 

Evan nudged him, holding up a fuzzy sweater from a winter garments rack. "Hey, man, here's a good one. She'd flip over this." 

Kurt eyed the item, one eyebrow quirked. "I will kindly assume, mein freund, that you have gone temporarily nuts and have no idea what you're talking about. Ach, put that thing away right now!" 

"Aw, c'mon dude, it's just right. You'll match!" 

The woolly sweater was, indeed, almost indistinguishable from his own dark shade of blue--and it was fluffy enough to approximate fur. However, Evan's joke was not going to be considered funny today. 

"Evan..." Kurt frowned at him. "I want to get her something nice, not insulting. _You_ get her that if you want. Besides, she doesn't like blue--she likes pink." 

Evan hung the sweater back up. "So maybe if _you_ were pink, she'd--" 

"For the sake of our friendship, do not even go there." Kurt turned back to the rack of blouses, leaving Evan snickering behind him. 

While Evan was trying not to pass out from the effort of holding in his laughter--Kurt's expression upon seeing the sweater was priceless--he spotted something out on the main aisleway heading for the mens' section that made his blood run cold. "Kurt--duck!" he hissed, grabbing Kurt and pulling him down behind a rounder of clearance shirts. 

"Vas? Evan?" Kurt got his balance back and stared at him. "What's wrong?" 

Evan was looking both shaken and angry. "I just saw Pietro Maximoff heading for the Levi's across the way there." 

Kurt's eyes widened. "_Vas?_ Der Brotherhood?" 

"Yeah, man, and I think Todd Tolansky was with him." 

"Unglaublich...Toad and Quicksilver, at the worst possible time!" Kurt groaned. "The worst big-mouths of all of them." 

"This is just sick," Evan said. "I mean, we're in the _womens'_ section, dude! How are we gonna get out of here without them spotting us?" 

"Like this--let's bail." Kurt glanced around, finding no one nearby. He grabbed Evan's arm and--_bamf!_

They landed in a stall in the mens' bathroom. A jarring re-entry--Evan stumbled out the stall door and Kurt almost fell into the john--but their dignity was intact and their reputation was secure. They stared wide-eyed at each other for long moments before they suddenly burst out laughing, falling against each other in hilarity. 

"Man, that was _so close!_" Evan managed between guffaws. "If I had ducked a second later Pietro would'a seen me!" 

"Mein freund, if you had not warned me, he would've seen _me!_" Kurt tried to stand up straight again, still chuckling. 

"So instead of dying of embarassment in the blouse section, we're cracking up in the john." Evan was finally able to stop laughing. "Man, I think this is just as twisted as getting caught by our worst enemies in the gals' part of the store." 

Kurt led the way out of the bathroom. "We have an interesting life, ja?" 

"No kidding. But it'd be pretty boring otherwise." 

"Jawohl! Wouldn't have it any other way." 

Evan nudged him as they headed back out into the mall proper. "Now all we need is to spot the Blob at the food court--and jeeze, Tabby could be anywhere! And I bet we might find Lance Alvers in one of the sporting goods stores..." 

Evan had to stop hard and whirl around, surprised; Kurt had halted abruptly in the middle of the younger boy's sentence. His face had gone alarmed and focused. "Kurt? Dude, what's up? You look like you just saw a ghost." 

Kurt finally focused on him. "Lance is here?" 

"Dude, I dunno. I didn't see _him_, just Tolansky and Pietro. But if they're here--" 

"Verdammt...I have to find Kitty." 

"Man, a minute ago you just--hey, wait up! Kurt!" The older mutant had suddenly bolted off, and Evan had to hurry after his friend or be left far behind. Even as he ran, he felt a growing weight in his chest; this did not bode well. Whenever the X-Men and Brotherhood crossed paths, mayhem was soon to follow. 

And the look Kurt had on his face when he took off... 

* * * * * * *

  
_German translations_

"Vas?" 

"What?"

"Ja" 

"Yes"

"Jawohl" 

stronger "Yes," or "Yes sir."

"Guten morgen." 

"Good morning."

"Mein freund." 

"My friend."

"Achtung! Vorsicht!" 

"Beware! Look out!"

"Aufwarts!" 

"Going up!"

"Bitte." 

"Please."

"Dummkopf" 

"Idiot" or "Stupid."

"Halt den Mund." 

"Shut your mouth."

"Ach" 

general exclamation

"Unglaublich." 

less polite "Unbelievable."

"Verdammt." 

"Damn" or "Dammit."

* * * * * 

  



	2. Silent Fight

((Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Marvel Comics and whatnot. I don't own them, I can't keep them, so I'm just borrowing them for this exciting little romp. Enjoy your reading!)) 

  


**Blau Weihnachten**   
_by Becky Tailweaver_

  
  
**Chapter 2: Silent Fight**

"Hey, Pretty-Kitty." 

The rough youngish voice made her drop the hair bow and whirl, eyes wide. "_Lance?_" 

"Hi, Kitty." Lance Alvers grinned roguishly at her, leaning against the hat shelf. " What's up?" 

"Oh, like, not much," she said, smiling prettily, her voice breathless. "Just like, shopping." 

Jubilee and the others had already begun to draw away cautiously; only Rogue didn't budge a step. The younger girls were wary of the older boy, and understandably so, but Kitty was unafraid and hung around to talk with him, going into what her Institute friends called "Ditz Mode." 

"Late Christmas shopping, eh? Me too." Lance smiled a bit sheepishly. "I'd've gotten most of this done sooner but...we're not exactly heavy on cash at my place." 

Kitty sighed sympathetically. "I like, totally understand. It's no biggie though, right? It's like, the thought that counts." 

"Yeah, well..." Lance shrugged. "You wanna take a break and go get a shake or something? I _do_ have enough change for that." 

"Oh, um, actually..." Kitty checked her watch. "I have to leave in like, an hour so I've got to get this done. But I'd like, totally love to do it another time." 

"Cool." Lance glanced past her at the hair thingy she'd been looking at. "So who are you shopping for now?" 

"Who? Oh, like..." Kitty glanced back at her friends, who were pretending to continue to shop whilst looking over their shoulders at the odd couple. "Well, I was mostly just like, waiting for those guys to finish looking here. I've got like, totally different stuff in mind." She stepped closer to him to speak softly. "Right now I'm like, trying to find a gift for Kurt." 

"The _Fuzzball?_" Lance blurted in disbelief. 

"Shhh!" Kitty glared at him. "Of course! But he's like, the only guy I've ever really shopped for. And you know he's a little bit like, different. So I'm like, totally out of ideas." 

"How about a flea collar?" Lance suggested cockily. 

"Lance!" She punched him lightly in the arm. "Kurt's my friend! I'm like, serious here." 

"Okay, okay." He put his hands up in surrender. "How about getting him one of those tube muff things and calling it a tail warmer?" 

She glared at him, hiding her giggle. "I swear, you're like, impossible." 

Lance shrugged again, rolling his eyes and frowning. "Hey, whadd'ya want? It's not a big deal, Kitty. Sideshow Boy's just a--" 

"Like, what is your problem with Kurt?" she interrupted sharply, looking a bit hurt. "Why are you always so mean to him? He's my _friend_, okay? Like, deal with it." 

"Fine." The older boy glanced around, jamming his hands in his pockets. "Guess I'll call you sometime." 

"Yeah." 

With a final not-quite-contemptuous glance at the not-quite-cowering young girls further down the aisle, Lance Alvers turned and left. 

But lo and behold--who might that be, lurking by the entrance to the little department? Well, if it wasn't the Sideshow Freak himself, and his bleach-blond buddy. Spyke looked clueless, as usual, but Creepy 'Crawler was directing a look of pure venom Lance's way. 

Their eyes met; glares clashed, invisible sparks flew. 

_Heh. Check this out, Freak Show. Just watch me work. Watch me and choke on it._

And he was walking out of the store, out into the mall to rejoin his friends, a smug smile on his face. 

* * * * *

"Dude, we've checked every shop in this mall!" Evan complained, beginning to be out of breath. "What are you so worried about? Kitty's fine--she's with the others. It's not like Alvers is gonna kidnap her or something--" 

"Klappe. Keep looking." 

Evan shut his mouth. Hearing that tone out of Kurt was so rare it _demanded_ he obey. And the look on his face hadn't changed--it was still somewhere between frantic and furious. What Kurt was so weirded out about was beyond him, but he followed him anyway. 

"Alright, man, if we don't find her soon I'm gonna--" 

"There!" 

Evan followed Kurt's pointed "fingers" into one of the larger shops on the mall. "Man, that's just Jean. Where's--?" 

"Don't you know anything, dummkopf? Girls always travel in packs. The others are in there." Kurt strode forward, heading for the store. Along the way, his unpleasant expression was industriously morphing into his usual cheerful one, ready to face Kitty with a big happy "Hi! Howzit goin'?" 

He spotted Kitty from the entrance, just at the end of a large rack of hair accessories. He was in mid-step when he saw the tall brown-haired boy standing next to her. 

Kurt froze, teeth gritting. "_Scheisse_." 

Lance hadn't seen him; Kitty and Lance were talking, and Kitty was smiling and blushing--and she looked so happy to see him. Lance leaned toward her, against the shelf, and Kitty's smile brightened at his words. 

_His_ words. Lance Alvers. _He_ was over there making Kitty smile like that. 

Kurt's gritted teeth almost emerged in a grimace. He could feel his fur bristling, prickling against his clothes. 

_Alvers...der Bastard..._ Just seeing Lance anywhere near Kitty set him off, and angered him more and more each time--especially when his own efforts proved fruitless time and again. _Ich kann ihn nicht ausstehen. The jerk._

And Kitty was actually stepping close to him! She _liked_ Lance; she enjoyed being with him, didn't mind being seen in public with him. That stung more than anything else--that a lowlife bastard like Alvers had a normal face and normal skin and normal hands, and he, Kurt, was stuck with the form of a freak. 

_If only he was a **real** freak,_ Kurt thought. _If only he would turn inside-out, then Kitty would see he's **much** more hideous than me!_

Lance's expression became a bit...sour. Kurt tensed, hands balling into fists. _Come on, du Trottel...give me a reason to come over there. Yell at her. Threaten her. Just **touch** her. Damn you, try it! Du traust dich ja nicht! C'mon, just give me a reason to rip your head off..._

But he didn't; the brown-haired mutant merely shrugged with a last word to Kitty and headed out of the store. He spotted Kurt and Evan on his way by--and his smug smile made Kurt's hackles bristle even higher than they already were. 

_Bastard..._ Kurt let his teeth show in a tiny snarl. _You and your smirk can just...scher dich zum Teufel!_

When their eyes met, Lance's smile broadened just a bit, and Kurt knew that triumphant look was meant for _him_. Lance didn't slow nor falter as he passed the two by the entrance, heading out into the mall. Kurt watched him go, eyes narrowed. 

Evan imagined that look on Kurt's face with his natural features--the dark fur, the burning yellow eyes, the just-barely-showing fangs--and shuddered. He _never_ wanted a look like that directed at him; it would have melted him on the spot. Very few people realized that Kurt even _had_ a temper, so rarely did he show it. He was so very good at hiding it. 

Evan didn't want to know what might happen if Kurt ever let that temper go. 

In as little time as it took to blink, however, that venomous look was gone-- _What the--? How does he **do** that?_ --replaced by Kurt's usual happy-goofy smile. And Kurt was already trotting into the store, making Evan hurry to catch up. 

"Hi Jean!" Kurt greeted the older girl at the watch case. "Fancy meeting you here! How are you?" 

Jean cocked an eyebrow. "Well, hello Kurt. Hm, fancy meeting me indeed. And just what are you doing in a store full of girls' accessories?" 

Kurt grinned innocently, rubbing the back of his head. "Heh heh...well, I saw you in here--and what do you know, there's Kitty! I just thought I'd stop by and say hi." _Please don't pry, Jean,_ he prayed silently, not sure if she could hear, not sure if she was searching his thoughts for the truth. _Please don't look. Don't see the real reason...!_

"Okay, whatever," Jean replied. "I'd be careful if I were you. Those girls are doing some serious shopping." 

"I've been warned," Kurt replied, grinning. His grin faded a notch when he noticed that Kitty had caught sight of him--and that her expression had turned to a frown. "Ach....um, in any case, we'll just be on our way." 

Evan breathed a sigh of relief--a break fromt the girlie stores! 

"See you around, Jean!" Kurt waved and turned away. He almost ran out of the store, his shopping mood pretty much destroyed after the Lance interlude. 

When they were a ways down the mall, Kurt stopped to flop into one of the convenient benches, remembering at the last moment _not_ to curl himself up into a comfortable ball. Evan sat beside him, still looking perplexed. 

"Man, that was freaky. What were you so upset about, dude? He wasn't doing anything wrong. I thought you were going to walk over there and tear Alvers' arms out. In public." 

_So did I, mein freund._ Kurt sighed, rubbing his temples. "Ach...I just don't like it when he hangs around Kitty." 

Evan patted his shoulder sympathetically, a wry look on his face. "Dude, I had no idea you were _that_ jealous." 

"Halt den Mund! Mach keinen Quatsch!" Kurt sat up straight and all but yelled at him. Evan blinked in confusion, so Kurt took a deep breath. "Just knock it off. That's not it." 

Now Evan looked extremely skeptical. "Then what is '_it_,' man?" 

"Lance is with the Brotherhood--if he influences her too much, she might even _join_ them. We'd lose her, Evan. And she'd get hurt..." 

"Damn....dude, it would really bite if we had to fight the K-girl." 

Fight Kitty? For a moment, his mind's eye supplied him with a scenario. Facing off against Alvers and Dukes and the rest of their gang--bad enough Tabitha Smith was with them now; seeing Kitty fighting by their side, even attacking the X-Men...and himself, facing off with her...it was unbearable. He couldn't... 

_I can't fight her. I just wouldn't be able to do it. **Never**..._ His expression was falling to morose. "See what I mean, Evan? We've already lost Tabby. The team might never recover if we lost Kitty too." 

Evan raised an eyebrow at him. "You mean _you_ might never recover." 

"Glaub das bloss nicht. Just let it be, Evan." 

"Dude, I _know_ you like Kitty. Duh, I'm busting my butt all over this mall, risking total mortification in the girls' department to help you find a present for her. _Hello?_ Heck, everybody at the Institute already knows." 

"Vas?" Kurt glanced at him. "Just what do you say behind my back?" 

Evan winced. "Sorry, man. But the guys _do_ talk, and we're not exactly blind. The way you hang around her, the way you pull all those crazy stunts to impress her, the way you're always getting on-edge when Lance comes around--dude, even _Jamie_ noticed, and he's just a kid." 

"Am I the butt of so much gossip?" 

"Yeah," Evan confessed. "I know it's not real nice of us, but...people talk, man. We're not rocks. I'm just surprised the girls haven't told Kitty about it yet. I think they have a standing bet about how long it'll take you to get your act together..." 

"Unglaublich! The girls too?" Kurt sank lower on the bench. "Ach...Ich bin erledigt..." 

Evan gave him a commiserating look. "Hey man, women see all, know all. They're the ones that got us thinking about it. I mean, Jubilee told Bobby, and Bobby broke it to Ray and I, and it kept going from there. Scott was the one who said we shouldn't go blurting out that we all know, and I'm not sure how the girls are handling it." 

"Wunderbar...my life is a veritable treasure trove of gossip." 

"We're not _gossiping_, man," Evan protested. "Most of us would really like to see you two get together. Some of the guys like Kitty too, but they'd rather see her with you than with Alvers. Dude, why do you think Ray and Sam haven't put the moves on her? Because they _know_, man. You like her, you were there first, _and_ you've got seniority. That's like this big sign that says, 'Hands off!' The guys aren't gonna cross that line." He paused a little before continuing. "And we've all seen what you get like when Lance is around her. _Nobody_ wants you pissed off at us, dude." 

"And just how long was this betting and gossiping supposed to go on?" Kurt asked, his voice a sullen murmur. 

"Just 'til you got off your tail and went out with K-girl," Evan replied. "But everyone's sorta wondering what the holdup is." 

Kurt sighed. "Evan, take a good look at me. _Without_ the holo-projector. _Then_ think about what the holdup is." 

"Aw, man, not _that_ again," Evan groaned. "Dude, nobody cares! Does _anybody_ at the Institute razz you about it--I mean _seriously_ razz you about it? Kitty doesn't care either!" 

"You weren't here when she first arrived," Kurt retorted. 

"What?" 

"She was scared to death of me the first time we met," Kurt confessed sadly. "She couldn't stand me. Ask Jean or Scott--she didn't want to be anywhere near me. By the time you came I guess she'd gotten used to me, but still...even now..." 

Evan stared at him. "Whoa. Man, I'm sorry--I didn't know. Scott never said anything." 

"He wouldn't." Kurt looked up at him. "Evan, behalte das für dich. As friends, keep this between us." 

"No problem. I will. But, dude...is that why you've been wearing your watch nonstop every day?" 

Kurt sat up suddenly. "Nein! That has nothing to do with it!" He stood and began to walk off. "Hör auf! Let's go." 

Evan sat on the bench for a confused moment. "Wow. And I thought the Kitty issue was a touchy subject..." He shook his head, hopping up off the bench and heading after his friend. "Yo, Kurt, wait up!" 

* * * * *

The girls' car and the guys' van arrived at the Institute at the same time. Everyone giggled and chattered and shooed others away from double-ply shopping bags and mysterious, enticing packages. People were hurriedly hiding things under their jackets and behind their backs as they sorted out their stuff from trunks and backseats and hustled toward the house. It was just past dark and getting quite cold. 

Kurt was his usual goofy self by the time he piled out of the van behind Ray and Bobby. The only one who didn't have any packages to take in, he bounded into the snow on the lawn near the garage and started scooping it up, ready to launch an attack on the nearest unlucky victim. 

"Look out, he's loaded!" Evan shouted, clutching his bag and taking off for the front door. 

The slightly messy exodus from the garage became a mad scramble to get into the house where, thank God, snowball fights were outlawed. 

Kurt hopped toward them, both hands full of snow. "The Luftwaffe squadron comes in for a devastating bombing run! _Brrreeeearrrrrr!_" he buzzed, imitating a biplane's puttering hum. 

"Hold it right there, Elf!" called Logan's gravelly voice from the front step. "Remember what the Prof said about goofing with the watch on." 

Most everyone had made it to the relative safety of indoors, but those still outside saw an amazing sight. Kurt's little antic was short-circuited; the snow fell from his hands and he quite visibly drooped. "Jawohl, Herr Logan. I remember." His bounce became a walk as he turned to go inside. 

"That was like, totally _not_ Kurt," Kitty commented to Jubilee beside her. 

"No kidding. But nice save from Mr Logan, there." Jubilee ducked in the door after Logan. 

The last ones to the door, Kitty turned to Kurt as he came up the steps. "Like, what's the matter, Kurt? Usually nobody can stop you from starting like, the biggest snowball fight ever." 

"It's nothing," Kurt replied, uncharacteristically reserved. "I'll get them tomorrow." 

"Kurt." 

Her voice made him pause, brought his gaze around to her. 

"You're like, okay, aren't you?" she asked quietly. "I mean you're not like, dying or anything?" 

_That_ made his mouth quirk up. "Nein, Kitty. I promise I'm not dying. I'm fine--see?" He grinned at her, but even so, his grin seemed...hollow. 

"Okay," she said reluctantly. "Like, whatever you say, Fuzzy." 

He held the door for her, but as she stopped in the entryway to pull off her wet shoes, Kurt went on, muttering something in German. "..._verdammt Winterpelz_..." was all she could make out of his mumbling. 

"Okay," Kitty said to herself as she headed for her room. "I like, totally need a German dictionary to deal with that guy." 

* * * * * * * 

  
_German translations_

"Klappe." 

"Shut up."

"Dummkopf." 

"Idiot" or "Stupid."

"Scheisse." 

"Sh*t"

"Der Bastard." 

"The bastard."

"Ich kann ihn nicht ausstehen." 

"I can't stand him."

"Du Trottel." 

"You jerk."

"Du traust dich ja nicht!" 

"I dare you!"

"Cher dich zum Teufel!" 

"Go to Hell!"

"Ach" 

general exclamation

"Mein freund." 

"My friend."

"Halt den Mund!" 

"Shut your mouth!"

"Mach keinen Quatsch!" 

"Don't be silly!"

"Glaub das bloss nicht." 

"Don't run away with the idea."

"Vas?" 

"What?"

"Unglaublich!" 

less polite "Unbelievable!"

"Ich bin erledigt." 

"I'm toast," or "I'm a goner."

"Wunderbar." 

"Wonderful."

"Behalte das für dich." 

"Keep this private."

"Nein!" 

"No!"

"Hör auf!" 

"Knock it off!"

"Jawohl." 

stronger "Yes," or "Yes sir."

"Herr" 

"Mister" or "Sir"

"Verdammt." 

"Damn," or "Dammit."

* * * * * 

  



	3. Winterpelz Worries

((Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Marvel Comics and whatnot. I don't own them, I can't keep them, so I'm just borrowing them for this exciting little romp. Enjoy your reading!)) 

  


**Blau Weihnachten**   
_by Becky Tailweaver_

  
  
**Chapter 3: Winterpelz Worries**

It was quiet. 

Too quiet. 

Like, _way_ too quiet. 

Blinking away sleep, Kitty rolled over, blearily looking around her room. Rogue was still zonked in her bed, the door was closed, and pale sunshine was streaming in the window. The house was as still as a tomb, and it seemed that not a soul had stirred on this crisp, silent Winter morning. Her eyes finally returned to her bedside table and the clock set upon it. 

She sat bolt upright. "It's _eight o'clock?_" she screeched aloud in disbelief. 

Rogue groaned and mumbled. "Would y'all shut up, Kurt? An' get outta here!" 

"Kurt's not here," Kitty informed her, hoping Rogue wasn't too far gone to understand her. 

"_Shnrgh_...what?" Rogue's face appeared from beneath her covers. "He ain't?" 

"No, and it's like, eight in the morning." Kitty's expression was a little concerned. 

Rogue blinked. Then checked her own clock. "Hot damn. My prayers've been answered." With no further comment, she disappeared under her blankets again. 

"_Ro_oogue!" Kitty wheedled. "Like, aren't you concerned at _all_ that Kurt hasn't like, come crashing in here an hour ago like he usually does?" 

"No," replied the sullen voice. "N'fact, I'm glad of it. Now lemme sleep in the _rest_ of the way." 

"Fine," Kitty grumped, swinging her legs out to stand. "I hope you like, totally miss breakfast. And lunch." 

Rogue didn't reply, so Kitty commenced to dress and then phased out into the hall. Wonder of wonders, a number of her comrades were up as well and, surprisingly, _dressed_. Quite a few of them seemed perplexed--and kept checking over their shoulders or looking up to the ceiling as if expecting a certain blue furry menace to pounce on them. Without a house-wide chase-down-and-strangle-Kurt to occupy their morning, most of the mutants were up, washed, dressed, and ready for breakfast with remarkable decorum and order. _Most_ did not include Rogue--and apparently not Kurt either, because she didn't see him anywhere. 

The line at the bathroom seemed the ideal spot to make inquiries. "So," she began, pulling up behind Jubilee and Bobby. "Like, has anyone seen Kurt this morning?" 

"Not a hair of him," Bobby replied. "Which is really weird, considering that it's vacation." 

"Is he sick or somethin'?" Sam asked from the front of the line. 

Behind him, Ray snorted. "Naw. The Fuzzball considers it his sworn duty in life to wake us up frikkin' early and bug the hell out of us all day." 

"He's not like, in the bathroom right now, is he?" Kitty asked. 

"No, it's Roberto," Jubilee replied from ahead of Bobby. "I just got here when he went in." 

Yawning, Evan came up behind Kitty. "Yo, anyone seen the K-man?" 

"No," Kitty replied. "That's what we were just like, talking about." 

"Dude, I even checked his room. He's gone." 

"So he's not in his room, and he's not in the bathroom," Bobby listed, thinking. "And he didn't wake us up this morning... Hm, maybe he got in trouble last night, and Logan's out training with him." 

Scott, on his way back from downstairs, said helpfully in passing, "If anyone's looking for Logan, I just saw him in the kitchen." 

Jubilee watched him go, then turned back to Kitty. "Huh, dead end there. Hey Kitty, Kurt usually gets his shower time done really early in the morning, doesn't he?" 

"Yeah, and like, leaves blue fuzz in the drain." Kitty frowned. "And he takes _forever_ in there, so he's always getting up at like, dawn to stay out of our way." 

"Nice of him," Ray growled. 

"Next!" Roberto called, emerging from the bathroom. Sam ducked inside as Roberto headed for the stairs. 

"Hey Rob, you seen Fuzzy anywheres?" Ray called after him. 

"Nope," Roberto threw over his shoulder. 

"Like, another dead end," Kitty said with crossed arms. "This is like, a total mystery." 

Further speculation on the whereabouts of Nightcrawler continued until everyone was finished with the bathroom. When everyone was done, those who had remained to converse traveled in a still-puzzled herd down to the dining room, where breakfast was waiting. Logan and Ororo greeted them from the table, and the Professor wheeled in seconds later, followed by Scott and Jean. 

Miraculously, even Rogue showed up after a few minutes. 

For a while, the entire table sat, composed and not eating, almost everyone staring at the empty spot beside Logan. Kitty felt a tiny grain of worry settle in her heart, trying to irritate its way into a pearl of panic. _Like, where on Earth is Kurt?_

The Professor cleared his throat. "Well, everyone, I suppose we should--" 

_Bamf!_ "Honk honk! Guten morgen, everybody!" In a puff of fading sulfurous smoke, Kurt Wagner was suddenly in his place at the table, holo-projector and all, smiling at them. 

Kitty had never been more glad to see that goofy grin directed at her. "Kurt! Where _were_ you?" 

The rest of the table apparently felt the same. "Dude, where did you go?" "We were lookin' all over th' mansion for ye!" "Great, _now_ he shows up." "Gosh, where were you hiding all this time?" 

Kurt put up his hands in surrender, still grinning widely. "Don't worry, my friends! Nothing's wrong. Consider this an early Christmas present, ja? I let your lazy heads stay on your pillows all morning and didn't make a peep. Happy now?" 

"Well then, I suppose we should get to breakfast, then," the Professor said, interrupting the interrogation. "Pass the eggs, please, Scott." 

With gusto, the breakfast chatter began, food was passed around, and everyone dug in. Apparently, no matter how much they "hated" Kurt's morning routine, his presence had been missed. 

"Like, you had us all worried, you Fuzzy Elf!" Kitty scolded him from her place while the others turned to other subjects. "I almost thought you were like, kidnapped or something!" 

"Vas? I was actually missed?" Kurt put both hands over his heart. "Kitty, I'm touched!" 

"Yeah, well don't like, let it go to your head," she retorted. "I still think Ray and Amara would like, totally toast you if you woke them up tomorrow." 

Kurt swallowed a big bite. "I'll worry about tomorrow when it comes, ja? Right now there's a big yard of fresh snow and I'm--" 

"Elf..." Logan sighed. 

"Hn?" Kurt's eager expression suddenly melted. "Oh, right. The watch. Jawohl." 

Kitty continued to eat her breakfast, watching Kurt out of the corner of her eye. _Like, what is **up** with him? One word about the watch and he like, totally goes introvert._

She resolved to figure out what was bothering him, whether he wanted her to know or not. The Professor, Mr Logan, and Jean obviously weren't going to clue her in, so she decided that the only thing that was going to do it was good old-fashioned legwork. Time for Kitty Pryde, Personal Investigator, to like, get down to business. 

* * * * *

After breakfast everyone scattered, and Kitty lost him in the rush to take care of dishes and help out in the kitchen. After that was taken care of, with some inquiries to the young mutants she managed to track Kurt to the front parlor. 

She found him perched on the back of one of the couches against the wall, elbows resting in the window nook, chin in hands, his face all but pressed against the glass. His holo-watch was still in place, but his blue tail stuck out the back of his pants and trailed almost to the floor. It twitched every so often, reminding her of a bored cat. 

"Hey, Kurt," she greeted. 

"Kitty?" He jumped a little, sitting up to face her. His tail drew close around him, disappearing under his shirt. "What's up?" 

"Like, what's so interesting out there?" She came near him, knees on the couch and settling her elbows beside his perched feet. "You looked like my mom's cat used to, when she was like, staring out the window at birds." 

He shrugged. "I was just...watching." 

She leaned over to look out. "Oh. Hey, they're having like, tons of fun out there." 

The majority of the male mutant population of the Institute had turned out in the front yard for an enthusiastic snowball fight. There were two major teams--one was made up largely of Jamies, she could see--and two well-built snow forts, one way neater than the other and obviously Bobby's work. 

"Ja, lots of fun," Kurt replied morosely. 

"Like, why don't you go join them?" she asked. "It's like, totally obvious that you want to." 

"You know what Logan said." He held up his wrist--the one with the watch on it. 

"Kurt, you're like, totally obsessing over this...whatever-it-is." She reached for the watch's holo on/off button, but he jerked his hand away. "Like, what's the matter with you?" 

"Nothing!" he said, his voice uncharacteristically sharp. "I told you already, don't worry about it. Just leave me alone!" 

He vanished in his usual manner, leaving her to wave smoke from her eyes and pout sullenly. Okay, the nice approach didn't work. Time to haul out the big guns. Fuzz-boy wanted to play hardball? She could play hardball. 

Kurt's comment last night was her only clue. Setting her jaw stubbornly, she marched to the Institute's library to find herself a German dictionary. High time she started figuring out the language, so she could finally figure out the guy. 

* * * * *

Kurt sequestered himself in his room where hopefully no one would bother him. He hated to be alone, and hated to be out of the action, but this issue with his holo-projector...it was either fun or the watch, and at this point, Kurt chose the watch. 

He was clinging to the ceiling above his window so he could look out at the snow below. Wonderful snow, cool and white and clean. And soft, too--he didn't have to wear his boots in the yard. He could tunnel through it and run over it; he had more fun in the snow than he did in the trees. And it only came once a year. 

And he was missing it because of this stupid problem. His first Winter at the Institute, and he didn't get to go out and show everyone who the Master of Snow was. 

There was a firm knock on his door. "Vas?" he quieried. "Come in, it's unlocked." 

The door swung open, then shut. Whoever-it-was stepped over to the middle of the room. It was a woman's step, and too light to be Ororo. One of the girls--or worse, Kitty. 

"Hello, Kurt," Kitty began. Her voice had a certain _tone_ to it, one that set him on edge and made him realize that he was, quite possibly, in big trouble. 

"Hello again, Kitty." 

"So, like, how're things with..." An odd pause. "...Ihr Winterpelz? I think I said that right..." 

Kurt fell off the ceiling. 

It took him a madly limb-flinging tail-whirling moment to reorient himself in the air, but he managed to land clumsily on all fours. He stared up at her, his expression something akin to horror. "Vas...? But...how do you...?" 

She raised a brow at him, then held up the book in her hand. It was a fat little volume with the title printed in both English and German on the cover. "This is like, a handy little book," she commented. "It took me a while to figure it out, though. I like, totally forgot that V's and W's are switched, so I was looking in the wrong place for like, ten minutes." 

"Ach..." Kurt smacked his forhead. No matter that Kitty might _seem_ like a ditz sometimes--she was also one of the best students in the school. Picking up a dictionary and starting to puzzle out his mother tongue was not beyond her abilities. 

"I like, already _knew_ what that _other_ word was," she continued, sitting down on his bed and thumbing through the dictionary. "This is a neat book, you know?" 

"Kitty...?" His tone was almost pleading as he stood up and approached her. 

Her gaze snapped up to him. "So 'Winterpelz' is what you were like, all freaked out about? '_Winter fur?_'" 

"It's not--" 

"Like, what is the big deal, Kurt?" she demanded suddenly. "You've been wearing that watch like, nonstop because you've got a winter coat?" 

He gritted his teeth, looking down. "It's...embarassing. I asked you to leave me alone!" 

She glared at him. "I'm not gonna let you just like, waste away in the house all winter. Was that your plan?" 

Kurt couldn't answer because yes, stupid as it sounded, that was his plan. "I didn't want anyone to see..." 

"To see what? Did you like, turn purple? Jeeze, Kurt! You'd think that by now you'd have learned to like, _trust_ your _friends_." 

He sat heavily on the end of his bed. "Ja...I know. But...I'm used to being laughed at." 

Kitty's tone softened. "I'm sorry, Kurt. I was just worried about you. Having you _not_ being like, some annoying big brother is like, totally weird." She leaned over, trying to catch his eye. "So...like, can you turn it off?" 

He looked up at her, almost askance. 

"Look, I'm not gonna like, burst out laughing. I promise. No matter how bad it is." 

"Why not?" Kurt sighed. With a shake of his head, he touched the button on his watch. 

When the human facade disappeared, Kitty had to blink. She hadn't seen him furry and blue in like, forever. She looked him over carefully, brows furrowed, but soon her eyes met with his anxious yellow ones. 

"Well?" she asked. 

"_Vas?_" He stood straight up off the bed. 

"Well what? I don't see anything." 

Now it was _his_ turn to blink. "But...when I get mein Winterpelz, I get all..." He looked down, shuffling one foot. "...flaumig." 

She brandished the book at him. "Don't make me spend like, half an hour looking _that_ one up, Kurt." 

He scowled. "I get _fluffy_, okay? My fur gets all thick and fluffy." 

"Well like, _duh_. It's called a winter coat for a reason." With a sigh, Kitty stood up, stepped closer, and peered carefully at him. From his face to his arms, then to his toes and tail. "I still don't see like, what all the huge fuss is about. I mean you're like, a little bit puffy around the edges but like, you really don't notice." 

"Really?" He looked...just this side of hopeful. 

"Like, really." She almost giggled, but remembered her promise not to laugh. "Jeeze, I didn't even know what you were talking about 'til you _told_ me." Now that she knew what she was looking for, he _did_ look "a little bit puffy" here and there, mostly around his throat and arms--but that was about all of him she could see; the rest was swathed in his usual baggy pants and shirt. 

"So...you don't think the others would say anything?" he asked, almost shyly. 

"Kurt...you're like, way too paranoid about this," she said, hands on hips. "I don't think they'd even like, _notice_." 

"You're sure." 

"Like, positive." 

"Wunderbar!" His whole face lit up. "Danke sehr, Kitty!" 

"Well, I didn't really..." She trailed off; he was already bounding about the room--holo-watch _off_ this time, so he looked much less out-of-place--grabbing various articles of clothing and pulling them on. Snow pants over his baggy ones, sweater over his shirt; he grabbed his coat from the rack and his hat off the chandelier--how did it get up there in the first place? 

"Like, what's up with you now?" she asked, perplexed. 

Kurt pulled the watch off his wrist and set it in his nightstand drawer. "I'm going outside! See you, Kitty! Thanks again!" _Bamf!_

Kitty waved away the smoke, her face shining with a triumphant smile. "Like, have fun, Kurt. Look out, world!" She phased out of Kurt's room and almost ran into the girls camped out by the door. "Like, can I help you?" she asked sarcastically. 

"I guess that...it went well, didn't it?" Jubilee said sheepishly. "Sorry...we were all kinda curious about it. So...what _is_ Kurt's problem?" 

Kitty smiled broadly. "Nothing. He's like, totally over it now. I'm getting my snow clothes on. Kurt's like, totally cutting loose out there and I do _not_ want to miss it." 

"Ye mean there's te be a snow-fight?" Rahne asked, eyes lit up. 

"There like, already _is_," Kitty replied. "But with Kurt it'll get like, _way_ more interesting. C'mon!" 

With squeals and giggles, the girls bolted for their rooms to dress for the outdoors. They sensed a major snowball fight in the works, and it was wise to gear up for any eventuality. 

* * * * * * * 

  
_German translations_

"Guten morgen!" 

"Good morning!"

"Ja" 

"Yes"

"Vas?" 

"What?"

"Jawohl." 

stronger "Yes," or "Yes sir."

"Ach" 

general exclamation

"Flaumig." 

"Fluffy."

"Wunderbar!" 

"Wonderful!"

"Danke sehr!" 

"Thank you so much!"

* * * * * 

  



	4. Warfare in a Winter Wonderland

((Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Marvel Comics and whatnot. I don't own them, I can't keep them, so I'm just borrowing them for this exciting little romp. Enjoy your reading!)) 

  


**Blau Weihnachten**   
_by Becky Tailweaver_

  
  
**Chapter 4: Warfare in a Winter Wonderland**

There was a marked lull in the snowball fight. 

The Ice Castle team--as Bobby's troop of warriors had been affectionately named--was well-ensconced in their magnificent fortress, with a professionally-made supply of snowballs. Courtesy of the Iceman, their ice-fort had two stories--one lower level for snowball-makers and a place of respite, and an upper layer for launching blistering attacks with increased range. Various throw-holes in the walls made it almost impenetrable from any angle, and the single door in the rear could be easily plugged by snow. It was a perfect defense. 

However, when one makes one's snowballs from within a limited area, one begins to run out of snow. 

The Snow Roach team--named so for the fact that Jamie was multiplying like one--had made do with two or three massive snowballs pushed together in a line by Roberto, who had used his solar-enhanced strength to roll up chunks of snow large enough to stand behind. They had increased availability of snow, but a greater tendency to be nailed by the sharpshooters on the Ice Castle's ramparts. They were a ragtag team, but scrappy enough to see the fight through. Although their team had consisted of only Ray, Roberto, and Jamie, after a few smacks with the flying snowballs their lesser numbers were no longer an issue. 

Besides running out of snow for ammunition, the Ice Castle bunch had finally decided to quit chucking snowballs at Jamie. There were now twice as many Snow Roaches as there were Ice Castle men. 

"Man, this is too rich," Ray chuckled, peeking out of a gap between two of the giant snowballs that comprised the Roach fort. "They've got the big-ass cool castle and they can't even win one little sortie with the Snow Roaches!" 

Roberto shook his head. "Yeah, but we aren't exactly making any progress either, amigo. They may have run out, but we can't get _in_." 

"Can't you just crack the walls, man?" 

Roberto shrugged. "I don't know how thick Bobby made them. And it's not like I can throw a snowball and make a dent." 

"Why not?" 

"I'm strong enough to throw it that hard, but come on--it's a _snow_ball. The worst it's gonna do is go _paff_ and decorate their wall for them." 

"Damn." 

"Can't we launch an invasion?" asked Jamie. 

Ray sneered. "We could--if we could smack you around and get enough bodies to pile up and scale the walls." 

Jamie looked crestfallen. "Oh..." 

Roberto put it a bit more gently. "It's good in theory, Jamie. But you'd have to be Kurt to climb those walls." 

Ray flopped against the snow-wall and glared at Jamie's duplicates. "You guys get back to work! One through Four, keep up the production. Five and Six, get on some hard-packed ones." 

"Aye sir!" replied the bunch. 

For convenience's sake, they'd given the Jamie Herd numbers as each one had emerged. That way, when someone yelled "Jamie!" six voices wouldn't answer "What?" At first it had been cool to increase the number of hands working for them, but having that many to watch over had proved problematic for the short-tempered Roberto and Ray. So Jamie had been put in charge of them, to label them with their numbers and set them to work manufacturing snowballs and patching up their defenses. 

And also try and prevent further multiplication. It would not do for thirty Jamies to show up at the house this afternoon for hot cocoa. There wouldn't be enough to go around--not with the fiasco from last week. 

Ray checked over the fort wall again, watching for any activity in the Ice Castle. "Dammit, I never thought I'd say this, but I wish the Fuzzball was here right about now." 

Across the yard in the Ice Castle, things were going just about as well. 

"Man, this is too rich," Sam laughed, looking down from the second story ledge of the fort. "We've got this big neat castle and we ain't managed to squash them Roaches yet." 

"It doesn't help that we've dug ourselves into a muddy pit," Bobby said with a disgusted frown, his snow boots mushing into the wet muddy grass at the floor of the castle. 

Scott was plainly amused at the situation too. "I told you not to completely enclose the fort, Bobby. And if we take any more snow from under the walls, the whole thing is gonna come down." 

"Wouldn't that be a riot," Evan grumped from his spot opposite Sam. "I _told_ you guys to cut down on the volume. Man, all of you guys were throwing at once, and the only thing you managed to do was give them a whole bunch of new team members!" 

Scott was chuckling openly now. "I thought our strategy was to pick off Roberto and Ray _without_ causing mass production of Jamies." 

"No kidding," Evan agreed, glaring at Sam and Bobby. 

"Can't you just take down the back wall or something?" Sam asked of the younger boy below. 

"I told you, I _make_ ice, I can't _melt_ it. You could bust out the back or something if you want." 

"Good idea!" Sam was just about to leap off the ledge when Evan stopped him. 

"Dude, what if you knock over the whole thing?" he demanded. "Wouldn't that look just great to those Roaches over there?" 

"Aw..." 

"Bobby could build a new wall just ahead of this fort, and give us the room we need to maneuver," Scott volunteered, ever the tactician. 

"Naw, that'd kinda be cheating," Bobby replied. "I mean, it's already unfair that we've got this big fortress and they can't touch us. Besides, that'd be like what Evan said--admitting that the Castle is defective." 

Evan leaned back against the cold rampart. "Man, I wish Kurt was out here. He'd know what to do." 

Sam and Bobby nodded eager acknowledgement. 

While both teams were grumbling about the distinct lack of action, a certain furry blue mutant was being reassured by one of his best friends. And, as if the Heavens had decided to answer the prayers of both teams, he appeared in the middle of the playing field, hands high above his head and throwing out a loud "Yaaaaa_hoooooooo!_" of jubilation. 

Every head cranked around, every eye focused on him, and every face present lit up. A general cheer went up from both sides of the yard. 

"Look who decided to join us!" Scott said. 

Evan pumped his fist, standing tall on the ledge. "_Yes!_ Ladies and gentlemen, the Blue is back!" 

The cheers went on, and Kurt held up both fists, grinning widely at the attention. "Hello! Thank you all! You're a marvelous audience!" he joked. 

"So pick a team already!" Ray belted out impatiently over the general applause. 

Kurt paused, a finger to his chin in exaggerated contemplation. Then he grinned his trademark impish grin and shrugged. "Actually, I can't decide!" 

"Aw, get him!" Evan shouted--and both teams opened fire. With a yip and a leap, Kurt took off across the snow, making for the far wall where he might be out of range. 

The girls arrived at about that time--Jean too; somehow they'd managed to drag her out as well. They tumbled out the front door only to stumble into a hailstorm of snowballs. Shrieking and ducking, they scattered like sheep. Jean, Jubilee, and Amara hurried to a fresh patch of snow and attempted to stack themselves a fort--with generous telekinetic help from Jean--while Kitty and Rahne ended up lost in no-man's land dodging flak from the war. 

Once the girls' fortress was generally in place, there were _three_ teams going at it. Kitty and Rahne managed to hide near the Snow Roach fort, in one of the trenches made by Roberto's giant snowball-rolling. The girls' team was a little behind cramming snowballs together, since their preparation time had been crunched, but nobody minded because everyone was having fun. 

Kurt was somewhere in the middle of the field, dashing about like a dog freshly let out into the snow. He'd lost his hat in pretty short order, and was galloping every which direction, throwing powder up with each bound and somehow avoiding every missile thrown his way. He got close enough to chuck a hastily-made snowball right into the Ice Castle's front window--nailing Scott in the process--and even took a shot at the Roaches _without_ hitting a Jamie. 

Rahne and Kitty tried putting up a fight from their insufficient little trench. Though there had to be over three feet of snow by now, with all the precipitation lately, a snowball-rolling trench is hardly protection from bombardment--especially since your closest neighbor is targeting you and he's only about ten feet away. 

Kurt disappeared into the chaos between the three major teams, and Kitty lost sight of him for quite some time. She finally got brave enough to stand up and throw snowballs that Rahne passed to her, since she could phase to avoid anything thrown at her. However, all the teams seemed soon to realize that and targeted her little two-woman team, and soon Kitty got tired from all the phasing and had to give up, ducking back down with Rahne. 

"Ah well, ye tried yer best," the metamorph offered, sidling down to avoid the continued bombardment. 

"They're like, gonna wipe us out before they get back to each other," Kitty complained. "This like, totally sucks. We lost before we even got started!" A well-aimed snowball whacked her in the back of the head. "Ow! And it's like, totally unfair that we can't even make a fort!" 

A shadow above her startled her. "Need a little help, Fraulein?" 

She looked up. "Kurt!" 

"To the rescue!" He grinned, holding out a hand. "Come with me!" 

"Huh? What are you--?" 

He winced when a packed snowball hit him in the back--the Roaches had caught on to him. "Just hurry!" 

She took his hand, and he pulled her suddenly out of the trench. The sudden flurry of snowy missiles made her shriek; she didn't know how she ended up on his back, clinging to him, but suddenly he was moving. Bound, bound--Lord, almost like _flying!_--and _bamf!_ The world disappeared for a single moment. 

_Bamf!_ As suddenly as it had vanished, light and sound and sensation returned. "Wagner Airlines now disembarking!" announced Kurt's voice. 

She peeked her eyes open--and hopped off of him rather quickly when she realized how tightly she was holding on--to find herself in another snow trench. But this one was deeper, and it was also the beginning of a snow _cave_. 

"What's this?" she asked, a bit shaken from the sudden 'porting. 

"A fort," Kurt explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

The "cave" was more like a tunnel, open at either end and only about six feet long. But it was big enough to comfortably sit in, and the open trenches at either end were perfect for launching attacks. Snow was plentiful all around, yet the "underground" location of this little bunker made it a hard target to hit indeed. 

"You mean you just like, dug this out just now? In like, a few minutes?" 

"Why not?" He shrugged with a grin. "You're my backup, Kitty. I'm going in--cover me!" And in a flurry of snow, he was loping back to the fight. 

Kitty blinked after him for a minute. Then a giggling smile appeared on her lips and she hurried to scoop up snow. Kurt was mounting an attack on the Ice Castle, and from the look on Evan's face, he'd need a good covering fire indeed! 

As Kurt charged the Ice Castle, he passed Rahne in the trench. The metamorph girl was obviously not happy about being abandoned, and as Kurt galloped by she jumped up. "You! I'll teach ye te leave me ta these jackals!" 

Kurt didn't really listen; he was already leaping headfirst through one of the Ice Castle's front peephole-windows, a snowball in each hand. He got in scot-free since the "tower guard," Evan, had been momentarily blinded by a well-placed missile from his backup. _Kitty, mein Fraulein, you are **dangerous** today!_

Pure mayhem erupted, on the same scale as what usually happened when he invaded their bedrooms in the morning; a mad flurry of "What the hell--?" and "Get him!" as he launched his payload and even scooped up some of their own to throw at them. He left the Ice Castle in a tumultous confusion as he leaped back out into the snow. 

Or, more correctly, leaped back out into the waiting jaws of an irate wolf-girl. Or girl-wolf. Whichever applied in this case. 

"Yikes!" With a yelp, he narrowly avoided her snapping jaws and lit out over the snow like his tail was on fire. The flurry of snowballs sputtered as a few of the warriors cheered either Kurt or Rahne. 

Due to their four-legged mode of rapid transit, Rahne and Kurt were the fastest runners in the X-Men. Under normal circumstances, Rahne could outpace Kurt simply due to the fact that a wolf is designed for speed over land, while Kurt, though definitely constructed for fast quadrupedal travel, was still more of a humanoid build and therefore came in second in the four-legged speed department. 

However, Rahne was currently chasing Kurt through several feet of powdery snow. In this case, Kurt's wide finger and toe spread served almost as "snowshoes," and his bounding strides were much longer than Rahne's. Especially since he was pretty much travelling _over_ the snow, while she was floundering _through_ it. 

They made good time, with Rahne snapping her teeth bare centimeters from the spaded tip of Kurt's tail. In a few seconds, Kurt was leaping straight over the wall of the girls' fort, an angry Rahne on his heels. The three females below him shrieked in dismay as he flew at them--but he suddenly _bamf_ed out of sight, leaving them to receive a flying brown wolf in their laps as Rahne cleared the wall but found, to her chagrin, that she was unable to teleport after him. Kurt's maneuver left the girls' team in disarray as he appeared once more in the middle of the field. 

The guys delicately decided _not_ to cheer that little move, else they earn the Wrath of the Women later on. But they _did_ silently applaud the 'Crawler's bold tactic. 

The Snow Roaches were next. Due to Kurt's good aim with the snowballs, they were down to only five Jamies, including the original. The Roaches were still targeting him when he charged, and when he perched atop their fort wall to make faces at them, all the Jamies lined up in a firing squad to let him have it. 

Unfortunately, Jamie's aim was poor, and by virtue of their relationship, so were the duplicates'. Kurt ducked, flipped, and dodged, landing on one of the middle snow-heaps that composed their fort wall. 

"Neener neener neener!" the blue youth crowed, tail waving high. 

Ray and Roberto joined the fray, unloading handsfuls of snow at him. He dodged without even changing position, twisting his flexible body while keeping his feet planted firmly atop the snow. "Ha! You couldn't hit the broad side of a snowman!" 

"You fuzzy little worm!" Ray had had _more_ than enough of Kurt's mocking--and the fact that the Elf was six feet away and they _still_ couldn't nail him angered the hot-tempered teen even more. Electricity charged around him, and in a flare of temper he unleashed a devastating blast. 

_This_ time, Kurt dodged. He backflipped off the snow-heap, which exploded rather spectacularly into a localized snow flurry. The Snow Roaches were left to blink in astonishment at the large breach in their defenses, through which poured attacks from the Castle. 

"Ray, you _moron!_" Roberto snarled as the blue-furred boy dashed off for more mischief. 

"Look out, dudes, he's coming this way!" Evan shouted from the Castle ramparts to his teammates below. 

"Somebody grab the Fuzzball this time!" Sam ordered, as Scott and Bobby braced themselves by the front windows. 

"Hey, where'd he go?" Bobby asked, peering out his window 

Evan glanced around. "I didn't see him--Scott, do you have him?" In the moment he'd turned to shout orders to his friends, Kurt had vanished. 

"No visual contact," the older boy reported. 

"Dammit..." Sam grunted. 

"Looking for me?" taunted a familiar voice. 

They all whirled in surprise. Kurt was perched on the edge of the _back_ wall of their fort, having scaled the ice this time instead of coming in through a window. He hopped to the ground within the fortress, and waved a three-fingered hand at them with a saucy grin. "Hello!" 

"Somebody get him!" all four yelled at once. 

The fracas inside shook snow powder from the walls of the Ice Castle. Those observing from the outside had to wince and wonder what on Earth was going on in there. As the left wall of the structure exploded outward and several struggling figures spilled into the snow, it became obvious that Sam had made a flying grab at Kurt--and missed. 

"Sam, you _idiot!_" Evan berated, watching Kurt bound off through the snow. 

"Jeeze, you guys," Bobby groaned. "I'm beginning to wish he _hadn't_ shown up. Look at this--one guy's trashed all three teams!" 

Scott was temporarily blinded as he cleaned grit and snow out of his shades. "He took the girls out with a wet wolf and got both of the guys' teams to knock out their own defenses." 

Evan wisely jumped down from the ledge--the walls were teetering now that part of their support was gone. "This totally bites. And he's got cover fire from out there." 

Shouts rang from the Snow Roaches and the girls' squad as they abandoned their forts and double-teamed Kurt. 

"Let's use our heads in this case, guys," Scott announced. 

Bobby nodded. "Yeah. Take out his support, then box him in." 

"How the heck do you do that with a mutant that teleports?" Sam demanded. 

"I think I solved that problem," Evan informed them, smiling evilly. "While I was up on the wall I think I spotted his backup's location." They formed a quick huddle as Evan went on. "While the girls and the Roaches are keeping him busy, we can sneak out there and attack his base of operations. Gentlemen, I think we can tie that fuzzy twerp down with this one..." 

Kurt was having the time of his life. He didn't even have to throw any snowballs! The teams had left their forts and were now just chasing him around, throwing hastily-scooped snow. They hit each other more often than him, and they were even back up on the supply of Jamies. What marvelous fun! All he had to do was run in random circles and laugh while they clobbered each other! 

"_Wahooo!_ Over here! No, over here! Mach was du willst! Come on, you guys are so lame! You couldn't hit me if you _tried--!_" 

"_Hey, Fuzzball!_" 

Evan's voice. And when Evan spoke like _that_, then _something_ was going to happen. 

He stopped mid-bound and almost spilled face-first into the snow. Standing up to get a better view of the situation, his eyes widened when he took in the group across the field. Evan stood to the fore, the spokesman. There was Bobby and Scott, on either side of a third struggling figure, while Sam stood behind. And their prisoner-- 

"Kitty!" His eyes widened. 

Evan grinned devilishly. "That's right, pal. We've got a hostage!" 

"Hey, no fair!" 

The girls and Roaches snickered. 

"Come along nice and quiet-like, and Kitty won't get...the Treatment!" Evan gestured, and Sam held up a large chunk of snow. His other hand was on Kitty's collar, ready to put it down her back. The observers winced. 

"You fiends!" Kurt accused, halfway into the fun, and halfway worried that they might actually _do_ it. "Let her go! Kitty, phase out!" 

"Kurt! They're gonna like, dump snow on me!" Kitty called, making her voice sound tired and piteous. Truth be told, she _could_ have phased out of their grip and escaped...but she _really_ wanted to see how this played out. Besides, if they dumped snow down her back, she could always inflict nefarious revenge on them later. 

Kurt chewed his lip, weighing the consequences. On the one hand, he could turn himself in and live with whatever horrible things they decided to do to him. On the other, he could stay free and avenge Kitty's "demise," but that meant he had to watch them do it--and Kitty would be so betrayed! And when they put that cold snow down her back...ach, he couldn't bear to hear her scream. 

"Sam, prepare the Treatment!" 

"Aye, boss." 

"No, wait!" Kurt shouted, tail drooping into the snow. "All right! I surrender...you win." 

"Yes!" Evan crowed. "Less than two seconds and he's whipped! Hey Roaches, wanna do the honors?" 

Without question--and laughing their guts out--Roberto and Ray laid hold of him, firmly gripping his arms. The others released Kitty, running over to assist in the capture. 

Kurt grinned nervously at his captors. "Well, you got me now. I'm a prisoner of war, ja? Fair treatment and all that?" 

"Naw, man," Evan told him rather cruelly. "We're gonna _execute_ you." 

"Ach...!" Eyes wide, he searched around for a delaying tactic. He spotted Kitty standing near the group, watching him. "Wait! Might I have a last request? A kiss from yon fair Fraulein for which I have so valiantly sacrificed my life?" 

Kitty cocked an eyebrow at him. "You're like, totally overdoing it, Kurt." She giggled--but to the surprise of all, she blew him a kiss. "Like, thanks for the rescue. See you inside for the cocoa...if you like, survive, that is." With that, she and the other girls headed in. 

Kurt was too surprised from the long-distance kiss to protest or respond as the guys dragged him off for whatever awful punishment they had in mind. But there was one semi-clear thought in his head--that at least now he could die a happy Elf. 

* * * * * * * 

  
_German translations_

"Fraulein" 

"Miss" or "Lady"

"Mein Fraulein" 

"My Lady"

"Mach was du willst!" 

"Do your worst!"

"Ja" 

"Yes"

"Ach" 

general exclamation

* * * * * 

  



	5. A Little Dose of Elf Mayhem

((Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Marvel Comics and whatnot. I don't own them, I can't keep them, so I'm just borrowing them for this exciting little romp. Enjoy your reading!)) 

  


**Blau Weihnachten**   
_by Becky Tailweaver_

  
  
**Chapter 5: A Little Dose of Elf Mayhem**

The den was warm and cozy, the fire crackling with a rosy glow and soft Christmas music drifting from the stereo. The worn-out teens were comfortably arrayed on couches, armchairs, pillows, and what-have-you, warming themselves from the chilly--but hilariously fun--snowball war. Everyone was also cradling a large, hot mug of cocoa, adorned with either marshmallows or whipped cream, depending on the individual's preference. The murmur of conversation and soft laughter filled the air as various little cliques discussed the morning activities--and the males in particular looked rather smug. 

Kitty, having been one of the earliest to arrive, had nabbed herself a comfy cushion close to the fireplace, and was staring tiredly into the flames while nursing her chocolate. Holidays were one of the only times she allowed herself to partake in any sort of heavy-calorie foods, so she was enjoying this to the fullest. 

Lazy greetings from the gathered crew alerted her to Kurt's rather late arrival; she turned to see the Fuzzy Elf himself come into the room, mug in hand, looking a bit bedraggled but bright-eyed nonetheless. He'd changed into a baggy set of sweats, so she guessed that his other clothing had been filled with snow and therefore soaked. 

Jubilee greeted Kurt as he approached, then scooted over closer to Rahne and Amara, giving him the spot next to Kitty. The furry teen plunked himself down and stretched his feet out toward the fire, sighing as the warmth reached his chilled toes. 

"So I guess you like, made it through whatever they did," Kitty spoke up, a slight smile on her face. 

"Ja." Kurt nodded, slurping his cocoa. "They were nasty, though, so I have to do something elaborate in revenge." 

"Like, really?" 

"Really." He leaned closer, lowering his voice conspiratorily. "They dumped me in the snow." 

Kitty blinked. "And how is that like, so awful?" 

"Normally it isn't," he said, a bit of a ruffled look on his face. "But they dumped me in the snow by the _pond_. Wet, sticky, frozen snow." 

Ah. Now she got it; the kind of snow that balled up and stuck to woolly gloves, hats, sweaters--even hair. And Kurt was _covered_ in snow-trapping fuzz. "Yikes. Like, poor you." 

"Ja! They dumped it down my shirt for good measure, too. One serving of iced Nightcrawler, courtesy of the guys' teams." He glared over his shoulder at the still-smug members of the Roaches and Castle men. 

She couldn't help but giggle, knowing that ninety percent of his animosity was joking. "You can like, use snow to wake them up tomorrow. Like, equal vengeance." 

"Kitty, you're crueler than me!" He grinned. "But I just might do that. Picture this: Door number one. _Bamf--splat!_ Door number two. _Bamf--splat!_ And so on..." 

"Like, perfect. Just don't use that on me or I'll like, totally hate you forever." 

He blinked innocently at her. "Would I do that?" 

"Like, duh." 

"I promise I won't. Trust me?" 

She eyed him for a moment, then smiled. "Okay." 

By this time, most everyone else had finished their cocoa and moved on. Kitty herself had emptied her own, but stayed by the warm fire to chat with her friend. 

Kurt put his mug in the grasp of his tail, freeing his hands to reach out toward the fire. Kitty couldn't help but notice that his tail wrapped the mug up like a little ceramic mummy. 

"So like, what's that move called? Cocoa security?" 

He glanced at his coiled appendage. "Nein. This is called warming my chilled tail on a nice hot object. The fire's nice and toasty for the hands and feet. I'm half-frozen!" 

"Says the guy who like, grows his own long underwear!" Kitty laughed again. "Why don't you just like, wear mittens and shoes or something?" 

"Slows me down." He shrugged. "And I like having traction. The boots are nice, but they're stiff. And mittens collect snow like you wouldn't believe." 

"I wouldn't know since I like, don't use my hands for walking." 

He sipped more of his cocoa. "You should try it sometime. Very fun in the snow!" 

Kitty giggled. "Sorry. Like, major structural difficulties, Fuzzy." 

"Ach, my poor Fraulein," he sighed theatrically. "To be forced to miss out on so many of life's small pleasures." 

"Yeah, like that double-chocolate whipped-cream-mountain marshmallow supreme you've got there?" She pointed to his cocoa, which still hosted the pile of both cream and marshmallows atop it. "Like, no thanks. You trying to like, give yourself a major sugar high?" 

He licked excess cream from his lip. "Nein, this is just recharging the batteries. I'll need a couple more of these if I want to overdose on sugar." 

She cocked an eyebrow. "Like, whatever. You are like, a total calorie junkie." 

He grinned impishly. "Gotta love me for it." 

Jubiliee stuck her head in the door of the den. "Hey, Kitty--phone." She didn't sound pleased to be announcing that fact. 

Kitty turned. "Who is it?" 

_Now_ Jubes sounded _really_ disgusted. "It's Lance Alvers." 

Kurt's jovial mood vanished in a second, even as Kitty jumped up and hustled from the room, heading for the downstairs telephone. Jubilee made gagging motions behind Kitty's back as she went, which only marginally lifted Kurt's spirits. At least the others felt the same way he did about Avalanche. 

"Oh, and Kurt?" Jubilee added. "Ororo's got lunch on the table if you want it." 

He caught her pitying look and remembered what Evan said--that just about everybody _knew_. Dammit, was he such an open book? He shrugged at her. "I'll be along." 

When she was gone, he turned back to the fire, his tail tapping the carpet in frustration. Hugging his knees to his chest, he stared morosely into the flames, more depressed than he'd been even yesterday. He'd been so _happy_ chatting with Kitty. It was as if they were really truly _that close_, side by side, almost snuggling by the fireplace. But it _hurt_, dammit--one mention of Lance and _whoosh!_ She was gone. 

He buried his face in his knees. It was at times like this that he utterly _hated_ what he was. If only he was normal--hell, even a normal _mutant_. If only he wasn't such a complete _freak_. 

_If only... _

If only I could be the one she wants... 

* * * * *

By dinner that evening, Kurt was in his usual happy-go-lucky demeanor, and industriously making Kitty giggle over her meal. By the next morning, things were completely back to normal. 

That included the morning "excercises." 

Kitty and Rogue were spared Kurt's cheery face in their bedroom that morning, but the loud scream from down the hall woke them anyway. 

"Like, who the heck just died?" Kitty wondered blearily, hearing the ruckuss on the other side of her door. There sure were a lot of pounding feet out there. 

Rogue rolled over and buried herself in her blankets, as per her usual response. "Aw, Kurt's back in the action. Damn, knew it was too good to last..." 

Kitty phased her head out the door to have a peek, and found utter pandemonium as usual. Only this time, it was a boxer-clad Evan chasing Kurt down the hall, bony spikes flying, and the majority of the stampede was everyone _else_ trying to clear out of the way. 

Kitty ducked back inside. "Whoa. Like, I did _not_ need to see that." 

"Whassup?" Rogue slurred from somewhere in the blankets. 

"Oh, it's just like, Evan trying to kill Kurt this time." 

"'Kay." 

"He was like, totally not dressed for it." 

"Kurt or Evan?" 

Kitty blinked. "Evan." 

"Oh. Never mind." 

Kitty turned to get dressed, shaking her head. "I swear, you're like, really weird." 

She waited for some of the noise to die down outside before she ducked out and made for the bathroom. The tremendous fracas was probably the reason for the lack of line at the bathroom, and she knocked politely before phasing in to finish her morning routine. 

Everyone at the breakfast table seemed a little ragged, and Evan was shooting Glares-of-Death at a very smirky Kurt. The table gossip chain passed the news to Kitty; Kurt had indeed used snow for a wake-up call, inflicting his revenge on Evan, who was the one that came up with the pond-snow punishment yesterday. He had mercifully spared the other guys, who were merely acting under Evan's orders. 

After breakfast, everyone scattered about the Institute. The results of their outdoor battle had been snowed over the night before, but no one felt like having it out again for a while. Instead, they turned to indoor pursuits; reading, television, video games, snacking, and listening to music. All the while hiding and wrapping last-minute presents, giggling behind closed doors, and plotting Christmas pranks. 

Ever the studious one, Kitty had parked herself in the den with two books--the German dictionary from yesterday, and a German grammar primer. Remarkable what the Professor had stored away in his personal library. 

She was reading quietly and peacefully, figuring out the pronunciation of a few basic phrases. The usual things you start with: "Hello," "Goodbye," "Please," "Thank you," "Where's the restroom?" and other such. 

_Bamf!_ "Honk honk!" 

She'd already jumped from his sudden arrival, but the pair of icy hands that lightly touched her cheeks made her leap clean out of her chair. "_Kurt!_" 

"Sorry," Kurt apologized--but he looked entirely unrepentant. 

"Like, where have you been?" she demanded a bit sourly, collecting her scattered books. 

"Outside," he replied. "There's a beautiful new layer of snow. I couldn't resist." 

"By yourself?" she asked, brows raised. 

"Of course!" He spread his hands wide, grinning. "It's fun--running through the snow, breathing the fresh air, listening to the wind... It reminds me of back home." 

"Like, whatever." She sat back down in the armchair and tried to find the page she'd lost in the grammar book. 

Her chair shifted a bit when he leaped up to perch on the back of it. "Vas ist das?" 

"Like, just some reading." 

He squinted to make out the words on the pages. "Ach! Another German book?" 

"Yeah. I'm like, trying to broaden my horizons. Got a problem with that?" 

"Nein! Not at all!" He seemed rather surprised. "In fact...es ist wunderbar! Would you like some help?" 

"So...you like, don't mind?" She glanced up at him. 

"Why should I mind?" 

She blushed a little. "I might like, totally butcher the language..." 

Kurt had to laugh. "Everyone has to start somewhere. My first attempts at English would have made you fall over laughing. Even today you and the others put up with my mistakes--" 

"No way!" she protested. "Your English is like, totally cool! I haven't heard a mistake from you in like, _ever_." 

"You're too kind." He leaned down so that his head was almost level with hers, freeing his hands to turn pages in the book. It _looked_ like an awkward posture, but it was one of those Kurt-only things. He chuckled at a few things he read, frowned at others, and finally settled on a chapter. "Don't always believe what the textbooks say," he informed her dryly. "I learned _that_ lesson early. Good thing there's helpful little me here to assist you. If you speak only formal textbook German, then you _really_ sound like a foreign tourist, ja?" 

She giggled. "Ja, dude," she replied, teasing him with his own distinctly non-textbook English. 

He smiled too. "See what I mean? Instead of sounding like a silly exchange student, I really blend in." 

"Like, yeah right." 

"Here, Fraulein--try this one." He pointed to a line. 

"Um..." She was a little embarassed to try, now that a native German speaker was almost literally sitting on her shoulder. "Uh... Mir ist kalt." 

"Sehr gut!" he praised her. "See? It's not so hard." 

"'I am cold.' Like, that one's for you, Fuzzy. I'm nice and toasty." 

"Okay then--here." 

"Mir ist warm. Ha ha. Like, very funny." 

"Ach. Es tut mir leid." 

She blinked, then looked down the list of phrases until she found it. "Oh." After that, she had to search out a suitable reply. "Ich hoffe es." 

He all but burst out laughing. "You're catching on, Fraulein!" 

"Yeah, but I'm sure I have like, a totally awful accent in German..." 

"Nein, not too bad. That goes with practice." He winked at her. "I'm sure you've noticed, I have a totally awful accent in English..." 

"It's not awful!" she blurted. "I think it's like, cute." 

"Danke sehr." His grin was contagious. 

She blushed. "Like, don't let it go to your head, Fuzzy." 

"No problem. So...how many chapters of this book have you finished?" 

"Like, not that many. I was like, totally stumped by the verbs for a while." 

"Okay. We can look at that if you want..." 

Outside the den, Ororo quietly shooed away the few observers who had gathered near the door. Smiling gently at the pair in the armchair, she softly slid the door closed. 

* * * * * * * 

  
_German translations_

"Ja" 

"Yes"

"Nein" 

"No"

"Ach" 

general exclamation

"Fraulein" 

"Miss" or "Lady"

"Vas ist das?" 

"What is that?"

"Es ist wunderbar!" 

"It's wonderful!"

"Mir ist kalt." 

"I am cold."

"Sehr gut!" 

"Very good!"

"Mir ist warm." 

"I am warm."

"Es tut mir leid." 

"I'm sorry."

"Ich hoffe es." 

"I hope so."

"Danke sehr." 

"Thank you so much."

* * * * * 

  



	6. Monster in the Mirror

((Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Marvel Comics and whatnot. I don't own them, I can't keep them, so I'm just borrowing them for this exciting little romp. Enjoy your reading!)) 

  


**Blau Weihnachten**   
_by Becky Tailweaver_

  
  
**Chapter 6: Monster in the Mirror**

Logan merely looked up from his motorcycle magazine when Ororo came into the kitchen, while Hank McCoy smiled at her entrance. 

"Good morning, Ororo," Hank greeted politely, sitting at the table with his oversized mug of coffee. 

"Hi, Hank. Things going well today?" 

"Splendidly. By the way, I made a pot of tea for you while I had the hot water. Double Bergamot Earl Grey--your favorite, I believe?" 

"Why, thank you, Hank." Ororo went to fetch herself a cup. 

"Since we're all making nice-nice with morning chatter..." Logan finally growled. "How's Elf doing this morning, 'Ro?" 

"All right, it seems," she said, sitting down with a steaming cup of tea. "He's with Kitty. They're in the den studying German, and I tossed the others out." 

Logan relinquished his pointed gaze. "Hn. Elf needs some time with that girl, without the others stickin' their noses in or makin' smartass comments." 

Hank frowned. "You know Ray didn't really mean--" 

"Whether he meant it or not, Elf didn't need to hear it," Logan growled. "And it's a good thing he didn't." 

"That's true," the shaggy mutant admitted. "Mr Crisp is a bit sharp-tongued." 

"A bit, Hank? Kid wouldn't know subtlety if it up an' bit him in the--" 

"Did anyone see what happened in the den yesterday?" Ororo interrupted. "Kurt was rather upset that afternoon." 

"I did--but I must admit I wasn't watching too closely," Hank replied. "Kurt and Kitty remained in the den long after everyone else had taken their leave. Until Mr Alvers called requesting to speak with Kitty, that is." 

Ororo nodded sadly. "I suppose that was it." 

"He's makin' up for it now," Logan observed, still paging through the magazine. "_If_ they get some uninterrupted time in there today." 

Ororo shook her head, looking down into her tea. "You do realize that Lance asked her out when he called yesterday. And she accepted." 

Hank had the decency to look a bit concerned, but Logan merely cleared his throat, unruffled. "Just ground the girl. Nobody'll argue--'cept maybe her. You think anybody wants the Half-Pint traipsing around with Mudslide?" 

"Indeed not," Hank concurred. 

"I know. I don't either," Ororo confessed. "But that's so..._intrusive_. Kitty hasn't done anything to warrant a restriction, and I have to admit, Lance hasn't misbehaved in any of the public situations he and Kitty have been in. Shouldn't Kitty be the one to make these choices?" 

"Sure she is," he replied. "She just needs some help to make the right ones. We ought to just set her and the Elf up for a date. Get her mind off the Rock-Tumbler." 

"Don't be so impersonal, Logan--it's Kurt and Kitty we're talking about!" Ororo protested. 

"I ain't. It's them two I'm worried about." 

"Kurt is already quite attached to Miss Pryde," Hank reassured her. "He just needs to muster the courage to act upon his heart's urgings." 

"Poetic, Hank. If ya ask me, Elf should just grab her hand an'--" 

Ororo glared at him. "They're just kids, Logan." 

"Ain't gonna be kids for long. They sprout up right under your nose." He looked up from his magazine again. "And you think bein' kids stops 'em from usin' their powers to wreak all kinds of havoc? The twerps in the Brotherhood don't have half a brain between 'em and every one of 'em is underage, but that doesn't stop 'em from tearing down a few buildings when they're pissed off." 

"Indeed," Hank said with a frown. "If Kitty associates with those ruffians, she's liable to be _in_ one of those buildings at some point." 

"They do have greater responsibility because of their powers, but--" 

"Don't preach to the converted, Storm." Logan closed his magazine. "We ain't exactly got the fate of the world in our hands, but there's one little Half-Pint whose fate I _do_ want to help along." 

"And poor young Mr Wagner has been pining after the girl for some months," Hank concurred. "I suppose by now he deserves a little assistance." 

"Are you suggesting what I _think_ you're suggesting?" Ororo asked, surprised. "Kurt doesn't--" 

"He's worried most that Half-Pint thinks he's ugly," Logan informed them. "Back when she first got here, her little bout with the heebie-jeebies at the sight of him didn't help his confidence any. But that's all changed. She ain't shriekin' when he 'ports into the room or jumpin' away when he sits next to her--ain't scared of him at all now. He just needs to get over his _own_ fears." 

"That's a mouthful, coming from you, Logan." Ororo hid her smile behind her cup. "And I thought the kids swore you to secrecy about Kurt's little 'problem.'" 

"Weren't no secret, 'Ro. Kurt's been knockin' himself out to impress the Half-Pint ever since she walked in the front door." 

"You're right about that, my friend," Hank said. "I would sometimes see the two of them at school between classes. A humorous study in adolescent interaction, that was..." 

"He tried so hard, especially at first," Ororo agreed sadly. "Even teleporting to the nose of the Blackbird--my heart almost stopped when I saw that! I couldn't believe how he hovered around her, even though she was afraid of him. He latched on to her like a starving child, and tried even harder any time she showed him any sort of affection." 

"First pretty girl his age to get within his range," Logan explained, as if it were obvious. "You look like he does, you don't get to know any pretty girls." 

"Logan..." 

"She's a little younger than him," Logan continued, ignoring her warning tone. "And it was his first try with a girl, so I think he overdid it in the flirting department. Kid had the drives on high there for a while, full throttle." He snorted in amusement. "Got a little out of control. He'd never tested _those_ engines before." 

Hank looked to be hiding a laugh, while Ororo glared at them both. "Men..." 

"Ororo," Hank said, with a bit of a placating tone. "Logan does have a point. Kitty is young, and Kurt is inexperienced. They are both in need of a little...shepherding." 

"If ya mean the Elf's got hormones he don't hardly know what to do with, then--" 

Ororo quickly interrupted Logan's growl. "While I _know_ that it's best that Kitty not see Lance, I don't think that Logan's method of 'shepherding' is the right one. The idea of actually 'setting them up'...I don't want to be so invasive." 

Logan rolled his eyes. "Whatever you want, 'Ro. Way I figure, give 'em time and space and a little encouragement, and nature should take its course soon enough." 

"And what if 'nature' wants to 'take its course' a little too far?" Ororo demanded. 

"That's what adults live here for, ain't it?" 

"Logan...we ought not to be sticking our noses into this. The Professor would disapprove." 

"Maybe not," Logan aceded, pinning them with a stern, pointed gaze. "But you can't say he _approves_ of her dating Alvers." 

Hank and Ororo frowned into their cups, both silently agreeing. This was not likely to end well; any time the X-Men and Brotherhood crossed paths, mayhem was soon to follow. 

And when that mayhem was trampling all over the heart of the sweetest, most vulnerable boy they knew, it was likely to be the most painful chaos they had ever seen. 

* * * * *

Later that morning, after Kitty had "like, totally Germaned herself out," she'd excused herself to her room to "freshen up." Kurt, believing this to be a girl thing, had trotted off in search of other entertainment. 

At a quarter to twelve, he was in the kitchen attempting to beg snacks off of Ororo, who was preparing everyone's lunch. She was shooing his furry hands away from the platters of sandwiches, while feeding him slices of lunch meat to placate him. 

At a quarter to twelve, the doorbell rang. 

"Guest for Kitty at the front door!" called out Scott's voice--with a distinct note of disapproval. 

Rahne and Jubilee hustled into the kitchen, closing the door hurriedly behind them. 

"Oh...my...God," Jubes breathed. "It's _him!_" 

"Ororo! Avalanche's out there!" Rahne reported, wide-eyed. 

Ororo barely had time to blink in surprise--Kurt was suddenly gone from her side in a puff of smoke. 

Kurt reappeared in the front hall, holo-watch absent even though it was against the rules. Scott was heading upstairs, a rather disgusted look on his face. 

Ten feet away, standing just inside the door, was Lance Alvers. He was dressed nicely for a change, with unripped jeans and a button-down shirt, and his hair actually seemed combed. "Well, hello Furrby," he greeted unpleasantly. 

"What are _you_ doing here?" Kurt demanded, feeling his hackles bristling again. 

Lance grinned widely. "Picking up Kitty." 

"_Vas?_" Kurt stood still in disbelief. "You...you're...?" 

"I asked her out yesterday," Lance said with a shrug. "And she said yes. Got a problem with that?" 

"As a matter of fact," Kurt retorted, "I _do_." 

Lance sneered. "Go hock up a hairball, Sideshow Boy." 

Whether it was some instinct or merely pure anger that made him bare his teeth in a snarl at the other boy, Kurt didn't know or care at this point. "Verzieh dich! You can just--!" 

"Lance! You like, finally got here!" 

Kitty's excited voice cut off Kurt's tirade like a switch had been thrown, and the bared fangs disappeared before she could see them. He turned, saw her eager, flushing face and the beautiful Christmas sweater she'd put on for...for this _date_...and felt a shudder of anger, pain, jealousy, longing... 

He teleported away before he completely felt like crying. 

Kitty blinked in surprise upon reaching the bottom of the stairs. "Like, what's up with Kurt?" 

Lance shrugged. "Wasn't happy to see me, as usual." 

Kitty smiled, shaking her head at him. "If you were nicer to him, maybe he wouldn't like, totally hate you so much." 

Lance remembered the look of hurt and pure envy on the Creepy 'Crawler's face before he'd vanished. "I don't think so, Pretty-Kitty." 

Scott, just around the corner at the top of the stairs, had seen and heard all, a stern, disfavoring look on his face. He watched Lance hold open the door for Kitty, and both of them headed outside. 

_Kitty, are you ignoring Kurt on purpose? Or are you really just that blind?_

* * * * *

Kurt landed in his room, tail lashing like a whip. His soccer ball sat innocently in the middle of the floor--and he kicked it so hard it rebounded off the far wall. 

"_Scheisse_" he spat, all but hissing in anger. "How can he just stroll up here and take her out like that? Like he _hasn't_ been our worst enemy since he first showed up! Der Narr--der Schwachkopf!" 

Reaching his bed, he smacked his pillow clean off of it just out of ire. Sitting heavily on his comforter, he stewed a moment before his eyes caught his reflection in the large mirror across the room. 

Crouched on the bed, a frightening dark figure stared back, expression twisted with resentment and yellow eyes glowing in anger. Like some distorted gargoyle glaring out at him, his own image mocked him with its freakishly demonic face. 

A cry of pure agony and rage erupted from him then; his hand swiped his nightstand for something--_anything_--and latched on to an object. He hurled it, hard, at the nightmarish image in the glass. 

_I hate you I hate you I hate you I **hate** you--!_

The object had already left his hand when he realized what he'd just thrown. His precious holo-watch slammed into the mirror with a thick plastic _whack!_

The mirror wasn't cracked--but Kurt couldn't care less about the mirror. He was already up and dashing across the room, already regretting his fit of temper. He scooped up the watch, cradling it gently. It didn't look broken. "Dummkopf!" he whispered irately at himself. "Kurt, you stupid..." 

His hands shaking in worry, he pulled the watch over his wrist and turned it on. It fizzled just a bit, but his human visage hummed quickly into view, giving him blessed relief from the dark blue nightmare in the mirror. 

Thank God...he hadn't broken the watch. 

Seeing his "normal" face didn't help his mood _that_ much, though. Kitty was still leaving with Lance, going off to...what were they doing? What did Lance plan to do with Kitty? 

Worry flooded him--Kitty was going out, _alone_, with one of the Brotherhood. One of their worst enemies. God only knew what might happen! What if it was some kind of trap? Or worse, what if it _wasn't_, and Lance just wanted Kitty for his own nefarious purposes...? 

Even as he tried not to focus on the images that thought conjured up for him, his mind offered him a seemingly simple solution. He leaped up as if stung on the tail, grabbing his coat and boots with a somewhat desperate look on his face. He vanished in a puff of smoke. 

When Lance pulled out of the Institute's drive, Kitty in the passenger seat, they had no idea that a fuzzy blue Elf was along for the ride. 

* * * * * * * 

  
_German translations_

"Vas?" 

"What?"

"Verzieh dich!" 

"Bugger off," "Piss off," you get the idea...

"Scheisse!" 

"Sh*t!"

"Der Narr!" 

"The jerk!"

"Der Schwachkopf!" 

"The moron!"

"Dummkopf!" 

"Idiot!"

* * * * * 

  



	7. What Town Is This?

((Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Marvel Comics and whatnot. I don't own them, I can't keep them, so I'm just borrowing them for this exciting little romp. Enjoy your reading!)) 

  


**Blau Weihnachten**   
_by Becky Tailweaver_

  
  
**Chapter 7: What Town Is This?**

Kurt used the hum of the engine to cover the faint noises of him pulling on his coat and lacing up his boots while curled low in the back of Lance's car. So far, the two in the front hadn't seen or heard him, and he remained in a bunched-up huddle as far down and back as he could get, listening to the chatter in the front as he finished tying his boots. 

The boots had been an autumn gift from the Professor. As the weather grew colder, it was no longer comfortable--or wise--for him to simply wear his X-Men uniform and cover it with the holographic inducer, which he did fairly often when there was threat of action from the Brotherhood. The material was far too thin for cold New York winters, and neither was it waterproof. Even with the onset of his winter coat's growth, the X-uniform had begun to get a bit...chilly. 

And that meant goodbye to the nice shoe-socks that went along with it. That footwear was soft, comfortable, flexible, light, and durable. It suited him well, and didn't hamper his traction or movement. The gloves of his uniform were made of a slightly lighter version of the same stuff, to protect his hands when he went quadrupedal. However, the shoes weren't warm enough either, and only water-resistant. He'd worn them over a few muddy autumn days before complaining of damp feet. 

He didn't mind going barefoot on most occasions. The calloused pads of his feet were tough enough to withstand everyday walking, and his fur was warm enough for most weather. He loved running shoeless through the clean snow, as long as he didn't stay out _too_ long and give himself frostbite. 

But the slush, mud, grit, and other unpleasantness that also went along with the winter season made for uncomfortable walking. And going into town or walking about public areas could be downright dangerous when barefoot. Broken glass, sharp rocks, metal grating--all things he'd not had to deal with very often back home in Germany, but he saw almost every day here. His X-uniform served well enough in summer, but failed him in the winter. 

So Professor Xavier had special-ordered him a custom pair of boots, specifically designed to accomodate his...unique foot size. They had tough rubber soles, strong leather uppers, and were comfortably padded on the inside so as not to chafe his fur. They laced up firmly to about half the height of his uniform shoes, but were much warmer _and_ decidedly waterproof. 

Whoever the cobbler had been, he'd done a remarkable job. It was a tall order to make comfortable, serviceable winter boots for a boy with furry feet, digitigrade legs, and hocks instead of ankles. 

The boots were a bit clunky, but then so was any winter gear. They served him well, protecting his feet from cold, damp, and injury. The only problem was that they did leave a mighty odd-looking print if he stepped in snow or mud, so he had to be careful not to track around public places. 

The sudden absence of engine noise brought Kurt out of his half-dozing reverie. He came instantly alert, realizing that the car had reached its destination. He held his breath, tensely waiting, as the two up front exited and locked the vehicle. He gave them the count of ten before he cautiously poked his head up. 

He got his bearings quickly. They were parked at Rock's Burgers 'n' Grill, one of those nice-but-not-too-spendy family-type joints. Nice place for lunch--Kurt had come there many times with the rest of the gang. Today, however, fond memories of culinary delights were far from his mind. 

His eyes focused on Kitty and Lance going in the door. He watched them for a second, then teleported behind the dumpster at the side of the building, just within his line of sight. From there, he cautiously approached the front door. 

Through the windows, he could see that his targets were choosing a booth, so he ducked inside and hustled for another seat. Hopefully out of their immediate sight, but he could still keep an eye on them. A waitress stopped by his table; he sent her on her way with a polite yarn about how he was waiting for someone and he'd order when they arrived. That done, he settled in to watch the couple. 

Lance ordered a typical burger, Kitty a generous salad. They ate and talked pleasantly enough, and looked to be enjoying themselves. As the meal drew on, one might have observed a direct relationship in the moods of the two males in question; the happier Lance got, the more sullen Kurt became. 

Kitty was shyly happy, giggling at Lance's jokes and blushing at his compliments. She was well into Ditz Mode, eyes sparkling gaily and her ponytail bobbing with each excited movement. Lance seemed pleased to be with her. It was a perfectly normal date. 

The more Kurt realized this, the more upset he became. Kitty never got ditzy when she was around _him_. They just laughed and teased and hung out like...brother and sister. He could never coax that flush, those cheery eyes, that excited giggle out of her. When she was with him, she was entirely different. 

_What does he do that I don't? What does he know? How does he do it? What does he have?_

The answer came to him quickly. It always did. _Lance isn't a freak. Not like me. He's a nice normal mutant boy. Just an ordinary kid with special powers. Just like her. _

Not like **me**. The Fuzzball. The Elf. Furrby. Sideshow Boy. **Freak**. 

While he was stewing, he almost didn't notice the fact that Lance and Kitty had finished their meals and were preparing to leave. He jolted into action, scooching lower into the seat and teleporting out only a few seconds before they passed his booth. He made it back to the car in one try; he knew exactly _where_ it was, so he had no trouble 'porting without visual reference. 

Back in the diner, Kitty sniffed the air curiously, her eyes going suddenly distant. 

"What's up?" Lance asked, finished paying the tab. 

Her brows furrowed. "Like, I thought for sure I smelled..." She shrugged, shaking her head and smiling at him. "Never mind. Like, let's go!" 

"After you, Pretty-Kitty." Lance held open the door, and they were off once again. 

* * * * *

They _were_ going home, weren't they? The lunch date was over...wasn't it? So they _should_ be headed back to the Institute. 

But all the turns and stops seemed..._wrong_ somehow. Too frequent--as if they were still downtown maneuvering through stoplights. And even when that stopped, and they seemed to be on some open road, other cars could still be heard, as well as the occasional honking horn. If Lance and Kitty were finished with lunch...where on Earth could they be going? 

All Kurt's previous fears about Lance's cunning and deviant plans for Kitty came racing back at him. Were they heading across town for some seedy dive that Lance knew how to sneak into? Were they aimed at some remote little spot where Lance could enact his designs upon Kitty? Even worse--was the whole Brotherhood going to be there to back him up? Kurt knew he wasn't up to taking on all of Lance's pals at once, and it seemed to have slipped his mind that Kitty was the sort of girl who wouldn't let such things happen to her. Would-be attackers would have to get their hands on her first. And be able to _keep_ them there. 

For a while, as his panic increased, he contemplated popping up and demanding to take Kitty home. Or heck with that idea--just grab her and teleport straight out of there. His fear of Lance's plans was almost equally balanced by his fear of Kitty's wrath, which would definitely fall upon him if he interrupted her thus-far splendid date. And if he appeared to offer rescue at the _wrong_ time, she would be utterly furious with him--not to mention the fact that he would look _extremely_ stupid in front of Lance. This mental quandary played a large part in keeping him glued to the floor of Lance's vehicle. 

That, and he was developing a cramp from being squashed down there for so long. Hard to spring to your Lady's rescue when your leg doesn't want to unbend. He had to grit his teeth and bear it every time his muscle tightend another screw; there was little room to maneuver and he couldn't do much without making noise. Due to obvious reasons, he was quite unused to such problems as stiffness and muscle spasms, and this rather novel sensation was becoming excruciatingly painful. Then again, he'd never crammed himself into the space between the seat and the floor of someone's vehicle, nor held that position for almost half an hour. 

If they didn't stop soon, Lance was going to need a can opener and Fred Dukes' help to get a blue furry stowaway out of his car. 

Pinning oneself to the bottom of a moving vehicle with no fresh air and a lot of stops and turns also has another quite interesting result: Motion sickness. Kurt had to stifle the occasional groan every time the car rocked and his stomach coiled itself in weirder knots than even he could manage on his best days. Motion-induced nausea was rather new, too, since with all the moving he did--'porting included--one would think him immune to such a trivial thing as car-sickness. The fact that Lance's car smelled of old cigarrettes and Toad did _not_ help his situation any. 

If they didn't stop soon, Lance was going to have Ororo's famous Scrambled Eggs Supreme--recycled--on the bottom of his car. 

Mercifully, the heavens answered his silent prayers. Lance's car slowed, made some sharp turns that served to aggravate Kurt's condition--cramp _and_ stomach--and finally came to a stop. He held _perfectly_ still--no help from his spasming leg--as Kitty and her escort got out. He gave them a slightly impatient count of twenty this time before he attempted to pry himself out of his hidey-hole, heartily wishing he had that can opener--and even Fred Dukes' help, at this point. 

Feeling nowhere near up to a 'port, not with how nauseous he already was, he dragged himself up to the door and let himself out the old-fashioned way, making sure to lock it behind him. Ahhh, even downtown city air smelled downright _sweet_ after that car! How in the world did Kitty stand it? 

He stumbled clumsily along the sidewalk to lean on the nearest parking meter, head fogged with car-sickness and his left leg cramping painfully as he tried to loosen it. To add insult to injury, every single one of his limbs was asleep--with the exception of his tail, but he couldn't very well walk on _that_. The pins-and-needles sensation that chased up his arms and legs made him feel as if he'd put his finger on a live wire. He knew; he'd actually _done_ it once. 

When the needles faded to a tingling numbness, he attempted a few steps. His feet dragged clumsily and his balance went to and fro like a ship in a stormy sea. _Keep the tail tucked in, dummkopf,_ he scolded himself as his fifth appendage threatened to uncoil instinctively from beneath his shirt with each uncoordinated step he took. _No matter how dizzy you are, nobody needs to see **that**._

He probably already looked like some drunken delinquent--and he felt quite a bit like one, too. As he squinted around in the bright afternoon sunlight, trying to get his bearings, his nauseous stomach warned him to quit with the sudden movements and get horizontal soon, or risk further embarassment right there on the sidewalk. He resisted the pressing temptation to drop to his much more stable quadrupedal mode, as such would raise quite a fuss on a public street. 

So he gritted his teeth, swallowed hard, and put his weight firmly on his protesting left leg. 

Ack...that car ride had been _hell_. 

Needless to say, Kurt's wonderful little plan to ensure Kitty's safety was looking less and less intelligent--even to him--as time passed. In his mind, however, she was worth it. Out in the fresh air, his head began to clear and things began to seem better. Then he took a good look around. 

Where the hell was he, anyway? 

Standing outside Lance Alvers' car on a strip of sidewalk in some very busy, heavily-populated, Christmas-decorated section of downtown, that's where. But which downtown was it? He didn't recognize this street, or those rather tall buildings...had they left Bayville entirely? They _had_ been driving a while. He gaped around at the lights, the signs, the street names, the structures, and saw nothing familiar. 

Great. On top of being car-sick and cramped, he was lost. A fuzzy blue mutant just barely hidden behind a possibly-damaged holographic inducer with a bad case of motion-sickness and a sore leg, lost in a big city whose name he didn't even know. Absolutely wunderbar. 

Kurt began to feel very small, and very very stupid. 

Wait--_Kitty!_ In his moment of floundering terror, he'd forgotten that Kitty and Lance were here somewhere. He glanced around, trying to spot either of them along the sidewalk. Had they crossed the street? 

Damn. No sign of them. 

Well, he could stand here and wait like a good little lost boy, then fess up whenever the couple arrived back at the car. At least that way he might get home. 

Yeah, right. Not only would Kitty be _beyond_ steamed, Lance would be right there to witness it all and mock him unmercifully. Okay, so Lance wouldn't do it in front of Kitty, but he'd _never_ hear the end of it later on. 

Kurt immediately dumped that option. 

Next choice--track them down. Somehow. If only he had the same power as that one super-strong anime dude he saw on TV sometimes--interesting guy, and he even had a tail. But unfortunately, Kurt could only teleport to a _place_, not to the vicinity of a specific _person_. Wouldn't _that_ be handy in these situations. 

So he had to spot them. This sidewalk crowd was thick, though--but all he needed was a high place to solve that problem. He couldn't manage any of the roofs of these buildings, but maybe a ledge would do. A _wide_ ledge--his winter boots seriously compromised his climbing abilities. He found a likely place right above him, at the front of the store Lance had parked near. Its lit-up sign had a good wide landing area behind it. He studied the location briefly, then hurried back along the street to the nearest alley. 

_Bamf!_

He should have known that 'porting upwards was a bad idea when he was still suffering from the after-effects of that damn car ride. 

He landed on the ledge retching, fighting for his balance, and trying to hide behind the store's large sign letters. Good thing his metabolism was so fast and there really wasn't any of his breakfast left in storage, or he would have badly disturbed the pedestrians walking below. 

"Ugh..." he groaned, leaning against the building's cold wall and praying no one had seen his graceful little performance. The day had gone from good to bad the moment Lance showed up. Now _bad_ had made it to _worse_, and was heading for _abysmal_ with its foot on the gas. 

He forced himself up, forced himself to peek out between the letters of the store's sign. Up and down the street, there was no sign of Lance or Kitty. 

_Worse_ had just crashed into the brick wall of _abysmal_ doing about ninety miles an hour. Kurt did an emotional nosedive, leaning pitifully against the sign metal and cursing himself repeatedly for his overwhelming stupidity. He should have moved faster, carsickness or not. He should have thought of another way of following them, like borrowing someone's wheels. He shouldn't have let Kitty out of his sight, not for a moment! 

_Kitty!_

Her face sprang up in his mind; he couldn't just give up. Abysmal day or not, something like this shouldn't keep a member of the X-Men down! 

Kurt took a deep breath and set his jaw. Leaning out through the "O" in the sign, he looked carefully up and down the street, not caring a fig if someone saw him. Sometimes the guise of "crazy teenager" helped a lot. 

He almost fell _through_ that "O" when he heard Kitty's voice right below him. Blinking in disbelief, he looked down--and there she was! Or rather, there was the top of her head. And Lance's head. 

What were the odds he'd end up teleporting to the very same store they'd chosen? 

Duh, what were the odds that Lance and Kitty would go right into the store they'd parked in front of? 

_Brain to Kurt Wagner, hel**lo**oo..._

"...like, totally lame," Kitty was saying. "This one didn't have anything good. Do you know anywhere that has any like, really _tricky_ stuff?" 

"I think so," Lance replied, taking a right and heading off down the sidewalk. "Me and the guys found this one place that has some really freaky..." 

Their voices trailed off as they continued walking. Kurt stared after them for a second, still dazed. 

Then he bolted into action, pulling out of the "O" and preparing to teleport back to the alley. His stomach was still a bit...queasy, but a downward 'port shouldn't be too hard. Easy as falling off a bridge, right? 

_Bamf!_

Hoo boy...bad analogy. He reappeared feeling like he _had_ fallen off a bridge, his stomach twisting up again but luckily not reacting as violently as it had before. Pausing a bare second to catch his breath, he scrambled out of the alley, heading in the direction Lance and Kitty had gone. Only pure luck or God's blessing had let him find her again, and this time he was _not_ going to lose sight of her. 

He caught up with them, but stayed well back to avoid notice. Hands in his pockets, the hood of his coat pulled up, he hoped to appear as anonymous as possible--ignoring the fact that he drew odd looks from passersby because he was wearing his coat all closed up and shadowy on a nice sunny winter afternoon. 

Good thing people on dates aren't in the habit of looking over their shoulders. 

* * * * * * *

  
_German translations_

"Dummkopf." 

"Idiot," or "Stupid.;"

"Wunderbar." 

"Wonderful."

* * * * * 

  



	8. AUTHOR RANT: LANCE FANS PLEASE READ

**Author's Note:** Okay, there's something I want to clear up! Before I get any more truck-loads of emails and such about this... (I hear you, Syna! And everyone else who wrote me with an opinion, you know who you are.) 

  
**The Lance Question   
And The Brotherhood Issue**

Whew, loaded subject! Don't get me wrong, folks! I don't hate the Brotherhood, and I don't hate Lance Alvers. Heck, I even _like_ Toad--he's a funny little doofus who _thinks_ he's way cooler than he _is_. I enjoy watching Pietro--I just like fast guys. (Not to mention he's played by a great voice actor from one of my favorite animes!) I loved "Survival of the Fittest" where everybody was the good guy at the end of the day. 

So _please_, no flames from Lance fans! Lance isn't my fave X-Ev character, but I'm not trying to portray him as a complete jerk. I've gone through all the relevant Lance-characterization from various featuring episodes. I watched "The X-Impulse" where Lance and Kitty get to have their cute little intro and lots of sweetness moments. I've tried to be as accurate as possible with every person on the whole darn show. 

However, since my story does not _center_ on the Brotherhood, I sadly don't end up showing many of Lance's better moments. If he seems like a jerk now...sorry. _I_ don't think he is--Kurt does, and we all know he's a little biased in that department. Kitty obviously thinks he's great--and if you will observe, Lance is having a good time with this date, he's behaving, and he will continue to be a perfect gentleman; just watch. I agree that Lance has a softer side, and definitely isn't _evil_. He's got a problem with erroneous logic at times, maybe, but that's a result of education and upbringing--he sure isn't evil. 

The main reason for Lance's "jerkiness" is this: The Brotherhood and the majority of the X-Men do tend to rub each other the wrong way--Kurt and Lance being no exceptions. They will clash like putting a wet cat and a skunked dog in an enclosed space. Kurt's being something of a jerk, too--he's jealous as all heck and doubly frustrated because it's a member of the Brotherhood that Kitty's seeing. Tagging along on someone's date, whether they're going out with your enemy or not--I'd say that's jerk material! (Temporary Jerk Syndrome--it happens to the best of us.) 

From my careful observations, Lance just struck me as having a _little_ mean streak in him. And since he's got the upper hand in this silent little duel, I don't think he's above the temptation to needle Kurt a bit. (Okay, a lot.) Kurt reacts _beautifully_ to Lance-needling--ends up being great fun to watch. Lance knows just the right buttons to push. (Everybody knows a button-pusher. I know _several_.) There's also a lot of "I've got the girl and you don't" going on. Guy competition, magnified by the fact that they're mutants. 

And Lance is an ordinary (albeit mutant) teenage guy. I've known a lot of ordinary teenage guys in my time--and a couple that were remarkably like our dear Avalanche. They have their ups and downs, the dear fellows. Rough homes, low income, bad reps--life ain't easy for them. Just because Lance wants to be something of a jerk to Kurt does _not_ mean that he's a jerk overall. Some of his earlier "jerkiness" (such as the "flea collar" remark about Kurt) was just trying to make Kitty laugh--and picking bad subject matter to attempt it. Oops--faux pas. (I'm sure we've all done that a time or two...or three or four...eeek...) 

Everyone has their jerk-moments. If my story happens to catch Lance at his worst...I must apologize to the Lance fans. This isn't a Brotherhood fanfic; please bear with me! 

If anyone feels they must email me to respond to this, please feel free--but _please_ avoid rudeness or just plain nastiness. I don't need discouragement! There are both Kurtty and Lancitty 'shippers out there, and as we all know, I can't please all the people all the time. I can only try. 

Thanks for listening to me rant. 

Later!   
Becky T. 

tailweaver@hotmail.com 

PS: The _real_ Chapter 8 will be replacing this little thing very shortly. 

  
  



End file.
